Grossi: Iran is still enriching at a high rate of about 7 kilograms of uranium per month with a purity of 60% (European)
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said on Monday that Iran continues to enrich uranium far beyond the needs for commercial nuclear use, despite United Nations pressure to stop this.
After briefing the European Union foreign ministers on this issue, the Director-General of the United Nations agency told Reuters that although the pace of uranium enrichment has slowed slightly since the end of last year, Iran is still enriching at a high rate of about 7 kilograms of uranium per month. 60% purity.
Enrichment by 60% brings the uranium close to weapons grade, and it is not necessary for commercial use in nuclear energy production.
The International Atomic Energy Agency reported earlier that between June and November of last year, Iran slowed the pace of uranium enrichment to 3 kilograms per month, but it jumped again to a rate of 9 kilograms at the end of the year.
This increase came shortly after Tehran prevented a third of the agency's core inspection team, including senior experts, from participating in the agreed-upon monitoring of the enrichment process.
“This cycle of deceleration and acceleration, for me, does not change the basic trend, which is the trend of continued increase in the stock of highly enriched uranium,” Grossi said.
He pointed out, "There is a worrying rhetoric. You may have heard senior officials in Iran saying that they recently have all the elements necessary to make a nuclear weapon."
He added that concern had increased due to what he described as the current conditions in the Middle East, in reference to the tension resulting from the war launched by Israel on Gaza.
Grossi said that he will go to Tehran next month for the first time in a year to end the state of "divergence" in positions, after a visit to Moscow during which he will discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin the issues of Iran and the Middle East.
Iran denies seeking to obtain nuclear weapons, but no other country has enriched to this level without producing them, according to Reuters.
Under a 2015 agreement with world powers, which is no longer in effect, Iran was required to enrich uranium to only 3.67%.
After then-US President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from this agreement in 2018 and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, Iran abandoned the nuclear restrictions of the agreement.
The International Atomic Energy Agency warned at the end of 2023 that Tehran already has enough material to make three nuclear bombs if it enriches uranium to more than 60%.
Source: Reuters