IRAN
Losing Friends
Russia’s state-owned nuclear fuel company announced Thursday that it has suspended operations in Iran’s Fordo nuclear facility because of Tehran’s decision last month to resume uranium enrichment, the Associated Press reported.
The company, TVEL, said it would be impossible to convert the facility in order to produce radioactive isotopes for medical purposes, despite previous assurances by Russian officials that the project would continue after Iran’s controversial decision.
The suspension is a sign that Moscow is trying to distance itself from Iran’s nuclear activities that violate the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran agreed to stop uranium enrichment under the deal but restarted the process after the United States withdrew from the pact last year and imposed new sanctions.
Last month, Tehran announced it was recommencing its nuclear enrichment at the fortified Fordo facility, adding that it would reverse its decision if European signatories of the deal help Iran bypass US sanctions.
Earlier this week, three European ambassadors warned the United Nations that Iran is developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in violation of a UN Security Council resolution.
The letter was dismissed by Iran’s foreign minister, Reuters reported.
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