Iran upped enriched uranium production amid ongoing nuclear talks with US: IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the UN nuclear watchdog, has revealed in its latest report that Iran has increased its production of enriched uranium in the recent months and produced highly enriched uranium during its ongoing nuclear negotiations with the United States, multiple news agencies reported, citing the confidential report, on Saturday.

The IAEA quarterly report expressed “serious concern” over the estimated 408.6 kg (around 900 lbs) uranium enriched to 60% as of May 17, marking an increase of 133.8 kg since the previous report in February.

The 408 kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity is well above the level used for civilian purposes and close to weapons grade, and a near 50% increase in quantity over the past three months.

It is enough for about 10 nuclear weapons if further refined, making Iran the only non-nuclear-armed state producing uranium at this level.

Theoretically, approximately 42 kg of 60% enriched uranium is enough to produce one atomic bomb if it is further enriched to 90%.

Iran has produced highly enriched uranium during the ongoing nuclear negotiations between Tehran and Washington.

“The significantly increased production and accumulation of highly enriched uranium by Iran... is of serious concern,” said IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi.

The IAEA’s latest assessment, longer and more comprehensive than usual, also details troubling findings about Iran's past nuclear work. It concluded that Tehran conducted undeclared nuclear activities at three previously unknown sites: Lavisan-Shian, Varamin and Turquzabad.

IAEA chief Matteo Grossi said earlier that Iran could make several nuclear bombs if it decided to do so.

Iran has constantly denied any intention of acquiring nuclear weapons, but the IAEA specifically stressed that no other non-nuclear state has enriched uranium to 60%.

Iran’s cooperation ‘less than satisfactory’: IAEA

The nuclear watchdog also criticised Iran for its “less than satisfactory” cooperation in a separate in-depth report.

“While Iran continues to cooperate with the agency on matters of routine safeguards implementation, in a number of respects... its cooperation with the agency has been less than satisfactory,” the report said.

“In particular, Iran has repeatedly either not answered, or not provided technically credible answers to, the agency’s questions and has sanitised locations as listed in this report, which has impeded agency verification activities,” it added.

Grossi said Saturday that he “reiterates his urgent call upon Iran to cooperate fully and effectively” with the IAEA’s ongoing investigation.

Iran’s nuclear programme has been a major focus of US foreign policy for years. The two sides reached an agreement in 2015 that saw the easing of US sanctions in exchange for limits to Iran’s nuclear programme, but the deal was torpedoed by President Donald Trump when he unilaterally withdrew from it in his first term.

Trump has been showing a renewed interest in reaching a deal with Iran in his second term.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office was quick to respond to the IAEA report on Sunday, saying it was a clear warning sign that “Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons programme.”

It said the IAEA’s report “strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years—the purpose of Iran’s nuclear programme is not peaceful.”

Iran condemns IAEA report, calls it ‘political, unbalanced’

Iran's foreign ministry denounced as "political" and unbalanced a report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog saying Tehran had stepped up production of highly enriched uranium.

"The structure and content of this report... which was prepared for political purposes... are not balanced and lack a comprehensive and accurate assessment of the factors affecting the current situation," the ministry said in a statement on Saturday.