According to the Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has ramped up its uranium enrichment. Germany, France, Great Britain and the USA condemn the move: any intention to use such quantities for civil purposes is not credible.
The Western remaining parties to the former Iran nuclear deal – Germany, France and Great Britain – and the USA have unanimously condemned the recent increase in uranium enrichment in Iran. Iran has tripled its monthly production, the four states said in a statement. There is no credible civilian justification for such production, and the reported scale of production also poses significant risks.
The decision shows that Iran lacks the good will to de-escalate and that the action is irresponsible in the tense regional context, said a statement published by the US State Department. “We urge Iran to immediately reverse these steps and de-escalate its nuclear program,” it said.
Iran denies increase
Only on Tuesday, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that, according to its findings, Iran had ramped up production of highly enriched uranium. IAEA inspectors recently verified Iranian information about production plans during visits. According to this, around nine kilograms of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity have been produced in the Natans and Fordow production facilities since the end of November – after around three kilograms per month in the previous months. For a nuclear bomb, uranium enrichment to at least 80 percent is necessary.
Iran denied that it had ramped up production and described the attributions made in the IAEA report as “nothing new.” Iranian politicians have publicly declared for years that they do not want to build nuclear weapons, while the country’s nuclear program continues to advance.
“Irresponsible” in a tense situation
In their joint statement, the states did not explicitly threaten Tehran with consequences – they remain committed to a diplomatic solution. However, they called on Iran to reverse its steps in its nuclear program – they amounted to “irresponsible behavior in a tense regional context.”
In 2018, the USA under President Donald Trump withdrew from an agreement concluded in 2015 between Iran, Germany, France, Great Britain, the USA and Russia, which was intended to significantly reduce uranium enrichment. Tehran then declared that it no longer felt bound by the document. A renegotiation has not been possible since then.
Since Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas following its terrorist attack on October 7, Iranian-backed forces have repeatedly attacked shipping in the Red Sea and US military forces in Iraq and Syria. The Iranian-backed Hezbollah is also attacking Iran from Lebanon – observers fear that the war in Gaza will spread to the entire Middle East.