On Monday, the UN nuclear watchdog reported that Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, near weapons grade, is growing and talks with Tehran on sensitive issues like uranium traces at undeclared sites have not progressed.
In one of its confidential quarterly reports to member states, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, close to 90% weapons grade, continued to grow at a slower rate, despite some diluting.
“The (IAEA) Director General (Rafael Grossi) regrets that there has been no progress in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues in this reporting period,” one report read, referring to Iran’s inability to explain the origin of uranium particles identified at two undeclared locations.
Before the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors’ quarterly meeting next week, the reports to member states said that after limited progress on re-installing surveillance cameras in the previous quarter, there had been none, raising tensions with Western powers.
Iran and the IAEA agreed in March to reinstall surveillance cameras removed last year at Iran’s request under a 2015 accord with major nations. There are only a few cameras and other monitoring devices the IAEA wanted placed.
Although 6.4 kg of Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% was diluted with lower-enriched uranium, the report stated it increased by 7.5 kg to 121.6 kg, adding to tensions with the West.
A senior diplomat said Iran’s production of 60%-enriched uranium has decreased to 3 kg a month from 9 kg.
Other diplomats have said the pause is part of “de-escalation” measures between Iran and the US, which involve Iranian cash frozen overseas and US captives held in Iran. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken denies the relationship.
“Of course, Iran claims (the slowdown in enrichment to 60%) as a positive, but more HEU is still more HEU,” a Western diplomat said.
Cameras without footage
Iran’s 60%-enriched uranium is almost three times the 42 kg the IAEA says is needed to make a nuclear weapon. However, experts say some uranium would be lost. Iran denies nuclear weapons ambitions.
Long-standing agreements allow the IAEA to regularly inspect Iran’s declared nuclear facilities and core nuclear activities, but the 2015 nuclear deal expanded monitoring to centrifuge parts production.
Even if IAEA monitoring equipment has been reinstalled, such as in Isfahan, it cannot access camera footage since it was not included in the March agreement with Iran.
One report on Monday explained the issue.
The Director General reiterates that the Agency needs access to camera data to be effective, particularly those in Esfahan.”
