Iran denies intention to shut down uranium mine
There is no problem in Saqand uranium mine and none of the activities going on at the site have been halted, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesman Behrooz Kamalvandi said.
He dismissed the recent reports about a partial shutdown of the mine as exaggeration of minor changes, IRIB news agency reported April 8.
Vatan Emrooz newspaper recently claimed that the management of the mine had started downsizing the workforce and cancelling extraction contracts, stating that the mine was virtually shut down.
Kamalvandi explained that a partial slowdown in mining activities at Saqand which are limited to the tunnels are a tactical procedure to prepare for future activities.
"By tapping the tunnels we have met the country's three years' need. After uranium is extracted, the remaining stones have to be returned to fill the tunnels because they cannot be left just as they are," he said.
"Now that a lot of ore has been extracted, the activities at the tunnels have to slow down a bit so that further steps could be taken. The open section of the mine, however, is working in full force," the official underlined.
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