It is an almost unanimous statement on the production of enriched uranium in Iran. "We condemn this measure, which further aggravates the continued escalation of Iran's nuclear programme," they said in a joint statement, adding that "Iran's production of highly enriched uranium has no credible civilian justification".

According to the UN agency, Iran has "increased its production of highly enriched uranium in recent weeks, while it had slowed the pace since mid-2023".

"These facts constitute a step in the wrong direction on Iran's part, resulting in the tripling of its monthly production of uranium enriched to 60%," Washington, Paris, Berlin and London denounced in their statement, which are worried about the "significant risks of proliferation".

"These decisions demonstrate Iran's unwillingness to engage in de-escalation in good faith and reflect irresponsible behavior in a regional context of tension," they added, calling on Tehran to "cooperate fully with the IAEA."

Iran said on Wednesday that there was "nothing new" in the IAEA report. "We were producing the same 60% enrichment (rate). We haven't changed anything and we haven't developed new capabilities," the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, was quoted as saying by the official IRNA news agency.

Iran is now enriching to levels far from the 3.67 percent cap set by the 2015 international agreement governing Tehran's atomic activities, and is approaching the 90 percent needed to produce an atomic bomb. However, he denies that he wants to acquire nuclear weapons.

See also"We must continue the dialogue with Iran, even if it is not easy," says Rafael Grossi

The IAEA's slowdown to 60 percent of production a few months ago was seen by experts as a move as talks resumed with the United States.

The Iran nuclear deal was shattered following Washington's withdrawal in 2018 by then-US President Donald Trump. His successor Joe Biden tried to revive it via talks in Vienna, but they have been stalled since the summer of 2022.

However, animosity has escalated in recent months with the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, which Washington and Tehran accuse each other of escalating.

The Islamic Republic has also expelled IAEA inspectors and disconnected cameras needed to monitor its nuclear program.

With AFP

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