Important Facts For Prelims
Fordow Nuclear Facility
- 09 Nov 2019
- 2 min read
Why in news?
Recently, Iran resumed uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow plant located near Tehran.
Key Points
- Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant (FFEP) is Iran's second pilot enrichment plant (the first is the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz).
- The site was originally a tunnel facility associated with Iran's paramilitary organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and is located buried in a mountain near the city of Qom.
- The recent move of Iran is a step away from the agreement it signed in 2015 with a group of world powers to limit its nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief.
- In 2015, Iran, with the P5+1 group of world powers - the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany agreed on a long-term deal on its nuclear programme.
- The deal was named as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as Iran Nuclear Deal.
- Under the JCPOA, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear activities by stopping uranium enrichment and allowing the international agencies to inspect its nuclear facilities in return for the lifting of economic sanctions.
- In May 2018, the US pulled out of Iran Nuclear Deal and it imposed sanctions on Iran and nations doing the significant amount of trade with Iran.
