Iran to work on nuclear-powered marine vessels after U.S. 'violation' of deal

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS | Tue Dec 13, 2016 | 2:28pm EST

Iran to work on nuclear-powered marine vessels after U.S. 'violation' of deal

By Bozorgmehr Sharafedin and Shadia Nasralla | BEIRUT/VIENNA

Iran ordered its scientists on Tuesday to start developing systems for nuclear-powered marine vessels in response to what it calls a U.S. violation of its landmark 2015 atomic deal with world powers.

Nuclear experts said that President Hassan Rouhani's move, if carried out, would probably require Iran to enrich uranium to a fissile purity above the maximum level set in the nuclear deal to allay fears of Tehran building an atomic bomb.

Rouhani's announcement marked Tehran's first concrete reaction to a decision by the U.S. Congress last month to extend some sanctions on Tehran that would also make it easier to reimpose others lifted under the nuclear pact.

The White House said it was aware of Iran's order and noted that Rouhani had said any such work on the vessels would be done within the framework of Iran's commitments.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-nuclear-deals-idUSKBN14212X

[HassleCat]

1. Enrichment

Fuel for a ship's reactor could be enriched at a much lower level than bomb grade Uranium. Lower enrichment requires the reactor be a little larger, physically, but that's not a big deal for most ships. Of course, it's a convenient excuse for producing bomb grade Uranium but we figured that was coming, right?