Iran has even more uranium a quick step from weapons-grade, U.N. says

Vienna — Iran has further increased its uranium stockpile enriched to levels close to weapons levelaccording to a confidential report released Monday by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Tehran’s latest attempt to exert sustained pressure on the international community.

Iran is seeking to have economic sanctions imposed on the country’s controversial nuclear program lifted in exchange for a slowdown in the program. The program – like all matters of state in Iran – is under the guidance of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and this is unlikely to change in the wake of the last week’s helicopter crash who killed Iran’s president and foreign minister.

The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency also comes in the context of rising tensions in the wider Middle East over the last few years. ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Israel and Iran carried out direct attacks on each other’s territory for the first time last month.

The report, seen by several news agencies, said that as of May 11, Iran had 142.1 kilograms (313.2 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% – an increase of 20.6 kilograms (45.4 pounds). since the UN watchdog’s last report in February. Uranium enriched to 60% purity is just a small technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

By the IAEA’s definition, about 42 kilograms (92.5 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% is the amount at which the creation of an atomic weapon is theoretically possible – if the material is enriched even further, up to 90%.

Also as of May 11, the report states that Iran’s global stockpile of enriched uranium is 6,201.3 kilograms (1,3671.5 pounds), which represents an increase of 675.8 kilograms (1,489.8 pounds) since the previous IAEA report.

Iran has stated that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi has previously warned that Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels to make “several” nuclear bombs if so. to wish. . He acknowledged that the UN agency cannot guarantee that any of Iran’s centrifuges could have been removed for clandestine enrichment.

Iran’s continued lack of transparency in its nuclear program

Tensions have risen between Iran and the IAEA since 2018, when then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Since then, Iran has abandoned all limits that the agreement placed on its program and quickly intensified enrichment.

Under the original nuclear deal, signed in 2015, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium only to 3.67% purity, maintain a stockpile of around 300 kilograms and use only very basic IR-1 centrifuges – machines that spin uranium gas at high speed for enrichment. purposes.

The 2015 deal saw Tehran agree to limit uranium enrichment to levels needed for nuclear power generation in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. At the time, UN inspectors were tasked with monitoring the program.

Monday’s report also said Tehran has not reconsidered its September 2023 deal decision to bar IAEA inspectors to continue monitoring its nuclear program and added that it expects Iran “to do so in the context of ongoing consultations between the agency (IAEA) and Iran”.

According to the report, Grossi “deeply regrets” Iran’s decision to ban the inspectors – and a reversal of that decision “remains essential to fully allow the agency to effectively conduct its verification activities in Iran.”

The deaths of Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian triggered a pause in IAEA talks with Tehran on improving cooperation, the report acknowledged.

Before the helicopter crash on May 19, Iran had agreed to hold technical negotiations with the IAEA on May 20, following a visit by Grossi earlier in the month. But these meetings failed due to the accident. Iran then sent a letter on May 21 saying its nuclear team wants to continue discussions in Tehran “at an appropriate date that will be mutually agreed upon,” the report said.

The report also states that Iran has not yet provided answers to the IAEA’s years-long investigation into the origin and current location of artificial uranium particles found at two sites that Tehran has not declared as potential nuclear facilities, Varamin and Turquzabad.

He said the IAEA’s request needs to be resolved, or the agency “will not be able to confirm the accuracy and integrity of Iran’s statements” under a safeguards agreement between Tehran and the nuclear watchdog.

The report also states that there has been no progress so far in reinstalling more monitoring equipment, including cameras, removed in June 2022. Since then, the only data recorded is from IAEA cameras installed in a centrifuge workshop in the city of Isfahan in May 2023 – although Iran has not provided the IAEA with access to this data.

The IAEA said that on May 21, IAEA inspectors, after a delay in April, “successfully maintained the cameras in the workshops in Isfahan and the data collected since the end of December 2023 has been placed under separate Agency seals and Iranian stamps at the sites”. “