Four of the six governments that signed a deal with Iran to limit its nuclear program condemned the findings of U.N. report that showed Tehran is tripling its monthly production rate of uranium enriched up to 60% purity.
"We condemn this action, which adds to the unabated escalation of Iran’s nuclear program," France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States said on Thursday.
"The production of high-enriched uranium by Iran has no credible civilian justification," they said, "and the reported production at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant further carries significant proliferation-related risks."
A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency highlighted that Iran has increased its rate of production of uranium enriched up to 60% at two plants.
Weapons grade uranium must be enriched to around 90%. Tehran has denied seeking nuclear weapons, but according to IAEA definitions it has enough uranium of 60% purity to make three nuclear bombs if the uranium were enriched further.
"These findings represent a backwards step by Iran and will result in Iran tripling its monthly production rate of uranium enriched up to 60%," the four Western governments said. "These decisions demonstrate Iran’s lack of good will towards de-escalation and represent reckless behavior in a tense regional context."
U.S.-Iran indirect talks stalled
Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, dismissed IAEA's findings. “We did not do anything new, and it is our routine activity that is being carried out according to the framework and regulations,” he was quoted by the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency as telling reporters on the sidelines of a weekly cabinet session.
Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was limited to enriching uranium to 3.67%, enough to fuel a commercial nuclear power plant. Iran signed it with the U.N. Security Council's five permanent veto-wielding members — China, France, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. — plus Germany and the European Union.
After former U.S. President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in 2018, and imposed economic sanctions on Tehran, the nation expanded its nuclear program. Britain, France and Germany remain parties to the deal.
U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to rejoin the nuclear deal and lift many of the Trump-era sanctions, but the E.U.-brokered indirect talks between Washington and Tehran "remain at a standstill," the U.N. political affairs chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, told the Security Council last week.
