Iran confirms Russia halts cooperation at Fordow nuke site after technical problem

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The Iranian foreign ministry's spokesman confirmed on Monday that Russia has halted cooperation at Iran's Fordow nuclear complex after a technical problem.

"We regard the technical problem as the reason for the halt," Abbas Mousavi said at his weekly press conference.

"Iranian and Russian technical experts are working to solve the problem," he added.

"Russia has not withdrawn from the cooperation with Iran at Fordow," the spokesman noted.

On Dec. 5, Russian state nuclear company Rosatom announced that it had stopped work on revamping a factory at Iran's Fordow nuclear complex because of an issue with uranium compatibility.

Under the Iranian 2015 international nuclear deal, Rosatom's nuclear fuel cycle unit TVEL was tasked with converting Fordow to a facility that produces radioactive isotopes for medical purposes.

Prior to the Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Fordow was used for 20-percent uranium enrichment.

On Feb. 7, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at Fordow nuclear facility, in a reaction to the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the JCPOA in May 2018 and re-imposition of sanctions against the Islamic republic.

Iran has so far made several moves to drop its commitments to the nuclear deal.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)