Intermoney || For the USA, it is important to reach a comprehensive agreement with Iran that the country's government accepts a 20-year moratorium on its nuclear activity and uranium enrichment. The deadline presented, however, is not to the liking of the Iranian authorities, whose proposal for suspension was five years. Reaching an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme is one of the key points of the dispute, as well as convincing Tehran to allow free maritime transit. At present, Iran has 440 kg of enriched uranium in its reserves, which represents a level close to that needed for the manufacture of nuclear weapons.
Iran, which has always denied any intention to manufacture nuclear weapons, has not enriched uranium since then. However, Western nations are concerned about the fate of its reserves of 440 kg of enriched uranium at levels close to those necessary for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. Uranium enrichment is carried out in Russia (40%), China (17%), France (12%), the USA (11%), the Netherlands (8%), the United Kingdom (7%), and Germany (6%), through four main companies: Rosatom, CNNC, Urenco, and Orano. All are predominantly state-owned, although E.On and RWE each own one-sixth of Urenco. Iran's uranium enrichment project has always been criticized by the UN for the lack of evidence that its use will not be for weapons.
