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Norway helps in transporting 60 tonnes of natural uranium to Iran

Xinhua, December 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Norway said Tuesday it has assisted in financing and transporting 60 tonnes of natural uranium to Iran as part of the the agreement on Iran's nuclear program.

Norway provided support for the transportation of the natural uranium from Kazakhstan to Iran on Sunday, amounting to around 6 million U.S. dollars, the Norwegian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Iran has also transported unused enriched uranium fuel out of the country and experts from the Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority have verified and controlled the transportation of the natural uranium, according to the statement.

"The agreement on Iran's nuclear program is historic, and it is crucial that it is implemented in a credible way. Norway has therefore helped to ensure that Iran's excess enriched uranium is replaced by natural uranium, so that the commitments in the agreement can be met," Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende was quoted as saying.

Under the agreement in July between Iran and the P5+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States plus Germany, Iran has committed itself to restricting its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to a maximum of 300 kg, which means Iran needs to dispose of its excess enriched uranium.

"Reducing the amount of low-enriched uranium is a key part of the agreement on Iran's nuclear program, and it is important for making sure that Iran does not intend to develop nuclear weapons," Brende said. "Norway is directly supporting the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and is thus playing a vital part in the implementation of the agreement."

UN Security Council resolution 2231 calls upon all UN Member States to support the implementation of the agreement on Iran's nuclear program. On Dec. 15, the IAEA Board of Governors confirmed that Iran had so far fulfilled its obligations under the agreement and that its nuclear program had no military purpose. Endit