Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, a confidential report by the UN nuclear watchdog said Saturday, and called on Tehran to urgently change course and comply with the agency’s probe.
The news comes at a sensitive time as Tehran and Washington have been holding several rounds of talks in recent weeks over a possible nuclear deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to reach.
The report by the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) — which was seen by The Associated Press — says that as of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent.
That’s an increase of 133.8 kilograms — or almost 50 per cent — since the IAEA’s last report in February. The 60 per cent enriched material is a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent. A report in February put this stockpile level at 274.8 kilograms.
There was no immediate comment from Tehran on the new IAEA report.
What does the report say?
The IAEA report raised a stern warning, saying Iran is now “the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material” — something the agency said was of “serious concern.”
Approximately 42 kilograms of 60 per cent enriched uranium is theoretically enough to produce one atomic bomb, if enriched further to 90 per cent, according to the watchdog.
The IAEA report, a quarterly, also estimated that as of May 17, Iran’s overall stockpile of enriched uranium — which includes uranium enriched to lower levels — stood at 9,247.6 kilograms. That’s an increase of 953.2 kilograms since February’s report.
Iran has maintained its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only, but the IAEA chief, Rafael Mariano Grossi, has warned Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make “several” nuclear bombs if it chose to do so.
Iranian officials have increasingly suggested that Tehran could pursue an atomic bomb.
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program, but has “undertaken activities that better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so.”
Israel’s swift reaction
Israel said Saturday’s report was a clear warning sign “Iran is totally determined to complete its nuclear weapons program,” according to a statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.
It said IAEA’s report “strongly reinforces what Israel has been saying for years — the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program is not peaceful.”
It also added Iran’s level of enrichment “has no civilian justification whatsoever” and appealed on the international community to “act now to stop Iran.”
Call for co-operation
Grossi said Saturday he “reiterates his urgent call upon Iran to co-operate fully and effectively” with the IAEA’s years-long investigation into uranium traces discovered at several sites in Iran.
The IAEA also circulated to member states on Saturday a second, 22-page confidential report, also seen by the AP, that Grossi requested following a resolution passed by the 35-member IAEA board of governors last November.
In this “comprehensive report,” the IAEA said Iran’s co-operation with the agency has “been less than satisfactory” when it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors at several locations in Iran that Tehran has failed to declare as nuclear sites.
CBC News senior international correspondent Margaret Evans asks Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei about Tehran’s interest in restoring diplomatic relations with Ottawa, broken off since 2012.
Western officials suspect the uranium traces discovered by the IAEA could provide evidence Iran had a secret military nuclear program until 2003.
One of the sites became known publicly in 2018 after Netanyahu revealed it at the United Nations and called it a clandestine nuclear warehouse hidden at a rug-cleaning plant.
Iran denied this, but in 2019, IAEA inspectors detected the presence of manmade uranium particles there.
What is the IAEA inspecting in Iran?
After initially blocking IAEA access, inspectors were able to collect samples in 2020 from two other locations where they also detected the presence of manmade uranium particles.
The three locations became known as Turquzabad, Varamin and Marivan.
A fourth undeclared location named as Lavisan-Shian is also part of the IAEA probe, but IAEA inspectors never visited the site because it was razed and demolished by Iran after 2003.
In Saturday’s comprehensive report, the IAEA says the “lack of answers and clarifications provided by Iran” to questions the watchdog had regarding Lavisan-Shian, Varamin and Marivan “has led the agency to conclude that these three locations, and other possible related locations, were part of an undeclared structured nuclear program carried out by Iran until the early 2000s and some activities used undeclared nuclear material.”
What’s next?
Saturday’s report could be a basis for possible further steps by European nations, leading to a potential escalation in tensions between Iran and the West.
European countries could move to trigger snap-back sanctions against Iran that were lifted under the original 2015 nuclear deal ahead of October, when the deal formally expires.
On Thursday, senior Iranian officials dismissed speculation about an imminent nuclear deal with the United States, emphasizing any agreement must fully lift sanctions and allow the country’s nuclear program to continue.
The comments came a day after Trump said he has told Netanyahu to hold off on striking Iran to give the U.S. administration more time to push for a new deal with Tehran.
Trump said on Friday he still thinks a deal could be completed in the “not-too-distant future.”
“They don’t want to be blown up. They would rather make a deal,” Trump said of Iran. He added, “That would be a great thing that we could have a deal without bombs being dropped all over the Middle East.”
