Iran may boost uranium enrichment level to 5%: Official
Tehran (KNA) - A senior Iranian official says the country may increase the level of its enriched uranium to at least five percent as of July 7, as part of a decision to reduce its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
In the second phase of scaling down its JCPOA commitments, Iran plans to increase the purity of its enriched uranium on Sunday, no longer sticking to the 3.67% limit it had agreed upon in the deal.
Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said in a Friday interview that the country will raise the 3.67% limit to any level it may need for its peaceful activities.
"For instance, in order for us to be able to make use of uranium at Bushehr reactor, a five-percent purity is needed, and it is a totally peaceful purpose that we generate power from the reactor jointly built by Iran and Russia," Velayati said.
The higher level of enriched uranium will also be useful for the country's other routine, industrial, and energy needs, which "are vital for us", he said.
Source: PressTV