Iran has further increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to levels close to those needed to create atomic weapons, despite international demands that it not do so, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report today.
The IAEA report states that as of August 17, Iran has 164,7 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. That's an increase of 22,6 kilograms since the last IAEA report in May.
Uranium enriched to 60 percent purity is only a minor, technical step up from the weapons level of 90 percent.
The IAEA report, seen by The Associated Press, said Tehran also has not reviewed its September 2023 decision to bar the most experienced nuclear inspectors from overseeing its nuclear program and that IAEA surveillance cameras remain down.
The report went on to say that Iran still has not provided answers to a 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 sites. The locations are known as Varamin and Turkuzabad.
The IAEA report comes just days after Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei opened the door to renewed talks with the US over his country's nuclear program, telling his civilian government there was "no harm" in cooperating with the "enemy".
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's remarks on Tuesday set clear red lines for any talks under the new government of reformist President Massoud Pezeshkian and reiterated his warnings that Washington should not be trusted.
The report acknowledges that before Iran's June elections, the IAEA was told "that the new Iranian government will determine further engagement with the agency."
But while Iran's president-elect confirmed "his willingness to meet" with the IAEA chief, there have been no talks on the subject since then.
The IAEA report also said the agency confirmed on August 26 that Tehran had completed installing eight cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at its underground plant in Ford and installing 10 of the 18 planned cascades of IR-2m centrifuges at Natanz, where two more centrifuges are being installed. .
Under the original 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran was allowed to enrich uranium to 3,67 percent with a limited number of its first-generation centrifuges only at Natanz. The more advanced centrifuge model enriches uranium at a much faster rate than the basic IR-1 centrifuges.
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