Vienna, Austria
AP
–
Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched at arms-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN Nuclear Watch Agency called on Saturday to urgently change courses and comply with the agency’s investigation.
The report comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have held several meetings in the past few weeks on the potential nuclear deal that President Donald Trump is about to reach.
A report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, seen by the Associated Press, says as of May 17, Iran had collected 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium, enriched to 60%.
This is an increase of 133.8 kilograms (294.9 pounds), or almost 50%, since the IAEA’s last report in February. 60% concentrated material is a short technical step from 90% weapon grade level. A February report showed that this stockpile level reached 274.8 kilograms (605.8 pounds).
There were no immediate comments from Tehran regarding the new IAEA report.
The IAEA report raised harsh warnings, saying Iran is “the only nuclear-weapon state that produces such materials.”
According to Watchdog, approximately 42 kilograms of 60% concentrated uranium is theoretically sufficient to produce a single atomic bomb.
The quarterly IAEA report estimated that as of May 17, the overall stockpile of Iran’s enriched uranium (including uranium enriched to lower levels) stood at 9,247.6 kilograms (20,387.4 pounds). This is an increase of 953.2 kilograms (2,101.4 pounds) since the February report.
Iran only maintains its nuclear program, but IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi warned Tehran that if they choose to do so, Tehran is enriched to nearby grade levels to make “some” nuclear bombs.
Iranian officials are increasingly suggesting that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb.
The US Intelligence Agency rated Iran, which has not yet launched its weapons programme, “if it chooses to do so, it is carrying out activities that are better positioned to produce nuclear weapons.”
Israel said Saturday’s report was a clear warning sign that “Iran has fully decided to complete its nuclear weapons programme,” according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
The IAEA report said, “It reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program is not peace.”
He also added that Iran’s level of enrichment “has no private legitimacy,” and urged the international community to “act now to stop Iran.”
Grossi said on Saturday that he would “cooperate fully and effectively in the urgent call to Iran” in a long-standing IAEA investigation into uranium traces found at several Iranian sites.
The IAEA also joined the second 22-page confidential report seen by the AP on Saturday. This called for Grossi after a resolution passed by 35 IAEA boards last November.
In this so-called “comprehensive report,” the IAEA stated that cooperation with Iran was “unsatisfied” with regard to traces of uranium discovered by IAEA inspectors in several locations in Iran that Tehran did not declare it a nuclear site.
Western officials suspect that traces of uranium discovered by the IAEA can provide evidence that Iran had a secret military nuclear program until 2003.
One of the sites was released in 2018 after Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a secret nuclear warehouse hidden in a rug washing factory.
Iran denied this, but in 2019 IAEA inspectors detected the presence of artificial uranium particles there.
After initially blocking IAEA access, inspectors were able to collect samples from two other locations in 2020, where the presence of artificial uranium particles was also detected.
The three locations became known as Takzabad, Balamin and Maliban.
The fourth undeclared location, named Lavisan-Shian, is also part of the IAEA probe, but IAEA inspectors did not visit the site as it was destroyed and destroyed by Iran since 2003.
In a comprehensive report on Saturday, the IAEA concluded that “the lack of answers and explanations provided by Iran” was a question to a question held by Watchdogs regarding Rabysancian, Balamin and Maliban, “these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of a nuclear programme that Iran had before it was implemented.”
Saturday’s comprehensive report could underlie further steps by European countries, leading to a potential escalation of tensions between Iran and the West.
European countries could move to raise snapback sanctions against Iran, which was lifted under the original 2015 nuclear deal, before October, when the deal officially expired.
On Thursday, a senior Iranian official dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing that the agreement will lift sanctions entirely and continue the country’s nuclear program.
The comments came the day after Trump told Netanyahu to hold onto the US administration to give him time to seek a new contract with Tehran in lieu of attacking Iran.
Trump said Friday that he still believes the transaction could close in “not too distant future.”
“They don’t want to be blown up. They want to make a deal,” Trump said of Iran. He added: “It’s great that you can make a deal without dropping bombs across the Middle East.”