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Nuclear Safeguards Education Portal

Diversion (of nuclear material)

Photo related to the term with caption below

Confiscated illegal centrifuges obtained from AQ Khan's Nuclear Weapons Smuggling Network

Diversion of nuclear material includes:

  • the undeclared removal of declared nuclear material from a safeguarded facility
  • the use of a safeguarded facility for the introduction, production or processing of undeclared nuclear material
    • the undeclared production of high enriched uranium in an enrichment plant
    • the undeclared production of plutonium in a reactor through irradiation and subsequent removal of undeclared uranium targets
  • the use of the nuclear material specified and placed under safeguards in such a way as to further any military purpose