Vienna, Austria

Iran, as per the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report released on Thursday (June 13), is expanding its nuclear capabilities further. The report comes a week after the IAEA's board of governors passed a resolution criticising Tehran's lack of cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

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'Moderate' development

AFP reports that the IAEA has informed its members about Tehran disclosing plans to install additional cascades — a series of centrifuges used for uranium enrichment — at its facilities in Natanz and Fordow. 

A diplomatic source, as per the report, described this development as "moderate."

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US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller in a statement said, "The report issued today by the IAEA makes clear that Iran aims to continue expanding its nuclear programme in ways that have no credible peaceful purpose." 

He urged Iran to "cooperate with the IAEA without further delay to fully implement its legally binding safeguards obligations".

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IAEA resolution against Iran

The latest IAEA motion, brought by Britain, France, and Germany, marks the first such resolution since November 2022 — China and Russia were in opposition to it.

It came amid ongoing concerns over Iran's escalating nuclear activities and Western fears that Tehran may be aiming to develop nuclear weapons, a claim Iran denies. 

The resolution was criticised by Tehran as "hasty and unwise."

Although the censure motion is mostly symbolic at this stage, it aims to increase diplomatic pressure on Iran, with the possibility of referring the issue to the UN Security Council.

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Previously, similar resolutions have led Tehran to retaliate by removing surveillance equipment from its nuclear facilities and increasing its uranium enrichment activities.

According to the IAEA, Iran remains the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching uranium to the high level of 60 per cent, just short of weapons grade, while continuing to accumulate large uranium stockpiles. The agency has previously stated that Tehran has significantly ramped up its nuclear programme and now possesses enough material to build several atomic bombs.

Iran has over the years abandoned its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, which provided relief from Western sanctions for curbs on its atomic programme. The deal fell apart in 2018, after under the then-president Donald Trump, the United States withdrew from it. All efforts to revive the deal have so far failed.

(With inputs from agencies)