Iran said yesterday it will ignore the limit on the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges agreed under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), thus withdrawing from the last operational restriction imposed by the 2015 deal. The statement, reported by the Mehr news agency, followed the US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani last week.

Uruguay has a well-established nuclear security regime that incorporates essential elements of the International Atomic Energy Agency's guidance of the fundamentals of nuclear security, an IAEA team of experts has concluded, following an International Physical Protection Advisory Service mission.

Iran should cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency to resolve outstanding issues, including the recent detection of natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at an undeclared location, Acting Director General Cornel Feruta told the IAEA Board of Governors yesterday. The IAEA and Iran are scheduled to meet next week in Tehran.

"Though distinct topics, nuclear safety and nuclear security are interlinked, and they share the same goal: to protect people, society and the environment from hazards or threats that could arise from peaceful nuclear and radiological activities." This was the message to delegates at a forum organised by the International Nuclear Safety Group yesterday.

The last few months have been a testing time for the International Atomic Energy Agency, but with the "steadfast support" of its 171 Member States and the dedication of its excellent staff, it has demonstrated strength and resilience in continuing to fulfil its responsibilities, Cornel Feruta, acting director general of the Vienna-based agency said in his opening address to the 63rd regular session of the IAEA General Conference.

France, Germany, and the UK - together known as the E3, as the three founding members of the European Union - issued a joint statement yesterday reaffirming their commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. But they said they were "deeply troubled" by recent events in the Gulf and "concerned" over US-Iran relations.

The Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has tasked experts to look into practical solutions for Iran’s export of low-enriched uranium and heavy water. Participants in its meeting last week have also announced the progress of a special purpose vehicle - known as INSTEX - to enable European businesses to maintain non-dollar trade with Iran without breaking US sanctions.

The amount of nuclear material around the world subject to safeguards increased in 2018, continuing a trend from previous years, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency's latest Safeguards Statement.

Belgium's nuclear security regime is robust, an international team of experts has concluded after a two-week follow-up review led by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

A new use of neutron detectors for reactor monitoring and safeguards, developed by Canadian Nuclear Laboratories Ltd, could potentially be used for the independent verification of nuclear reactor activities and for monitoring the sealed cores of some small modular reactors.

The nuclear industry, both in the UK and internationally, is "changing rapidly and is facing significant challenges", the UK's Office for Nuclear Regulation says in its Strategic Framework for International Engagement to 2025.

Shine Medical Isotopes yesterday broke ground on its first medical isotope production facility in Janesville, Wisconsin. Commercial production of isotopes, including molybdenum-99 (Mo-99), is scheduled to begin in 2021.