 "'We did nothing new': Iran dismisses IAEA report on uranium enrichment")
Iran on Wednesday dismissed the international nuclear watchdog report which said it had recently accelerated production of highly enriched uranium after months of slowdown. “We did nothing new and are doing the same activities according to the rules,” AFP quoted Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami as saying.
“We were producing the same 60 per cent, we didn’t change anything and we didn’t create any new capacity,” Eslami added.
On Tuesday, the IAEA issued a report indicating that Iran has reversed its earlier reduction in the production of highly enriched uranium. The UN watchdog revealed that Iran has increased its monthly output of 60 per cent enriched uranium to approximately nine kilograms (20 pounds) since the end of November. This marks a significant rise from the three kilograms per month observed since June, returning to the production levels seen in the first half of 2023. It’s important to note that further enrichment, beyond the current 60 , would be necessary for the development of nuclear weapons, requiring levels around 90 per cent. Iran has consistently denied any intentions to pursue nuclear weapons, asserting that its nuclear activities are purely peaceful. Initially, there appeared to be a slowdown in enrichment activities during informal talks on a restored nuclear agreement with the United States. However, tensions between the two nations have escalated recently, with mutual accusations related to the conflict between Israel and Hamas. Iran had previously suspended compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal’s limits on its nuclear activities a year after the US withdrawal from the agreement in 2018. This led to the reimposition of extensive sanctions. As reported in a confidential IAEA document last month, Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium now exceed the permitted levels by 22 times. Eslami, Iran’s nuclear chief, criticized what he termed a “media frenzy” surrounding the latest IAEA report, alleging that it aimed to divert public attention from the ongoing conflict in Gaza. With inputs from agencies
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