The location in Karaj is known for the production of components for nuclear centrifuges and has reportedly produced enough material to create close to 200 of them in the last 2-3 months; According to reports, the UN has not been monitoring the site.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, citing undisclosed sources, the Islamic Republic of Iran resumed the production of advanced nuclear centrifuge parts at a site that has failed to be monitored by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The report suggested that the equipment necessary for 170 centrifuges has been produced dating back to August.
Centrifuges are used to produce enriched uranium – a key element in the creation of nuclear weaponry.
The facility of interest is the Karaj plant located in northwestern Iran, which was previously targeted in a suspected Israeli sabotage attack – one of many such attacks that have occurred in the last 18 months. The IAEA’s security cameras located at the Karaj production site were both compromised in the suspected Israeli attack that occurred in June.
Iran has been rapidly and publicly increasing its violations of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or Iran Nuclear Deal, since the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the Obama-era deal in 2018. Over the last three years, the international community has failed to come to terms with Iran. Earlier this year, talks in Vienna ultimately failed, but are expected to resume in the weeks ahead.
