Question: Which of the following country recently has announced that it has started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges?
a) Iraq
b) Iran
c) UAE
d) Oman
Answer: (b)
Related Facts:-
- On 10 April 2021 Iran announced that it has started up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges.
- Iran began this programme in a breach of its undertakings under a troubled 2015 nuclear deal, days after the start of talks on rescuing the accord.
- The United States had said on 9 April 2021 that it had offered very serious ideas on reviving the accord.
- US was waiting for Tehran to reciprocate and in the mean time Iranian action by starting up advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges signally failed our purpose..
- On 10 April 2021; President Hassan Rouhani inaugurated the three cascades of 164 IR-6 centrifuges, 30 IR-5 and another 30 IR-6 devices.
- These equipments were installed at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment plant in a ceremony.
- Iran’s latest move to step up uranium enrichment follows an opening round of talks in Vienna Tuesday with representatives of the remaining parties to the nuclear deal on bringing the U.S. back into it.
- Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 but his successor Joe Biden has said he is ready to return, arguing the deal had been successful in dramatically scaling back Iran’s nuclear activities.
- The Vienna talks are focused not only on lifting crippling economic sanctions Trump reimposed, but also on bringing Iran back into compliance after it responded by suspending several of its own commitments.
- Iran has demanded that the United States first lift all sanctions imposed by Trump, which include a sweeping unilateral ban on its oil exports, before it falls back in line with obligations it suspended.
By – Rajesh Tripathi