Iran said on Wednesday that there was “nothing new” in a report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published the day before, reporting an acceleration in the production of highly enriched uranium by the Islamic Republic. According to the UN agency, Iran “increased its production of highly enriched uranium in recent weeks, after having slowed the pace since mid-2023”.
It has increased its production of 60% enriched uranium to around 9 kg per month since the end of November, which “represents an increase from the approximately 3 kg produced per month since June and a return to the monthly rate of 9 kg during the first half of 2023,” she said. “The new report contains nothing new […] and we have not done anything new, these are the usual activities that are carried out within the framework of the regulations,” said the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, quoted by the official Irna agency.
Renewed tensions since October 7
“We were producing the same (rate) of 60% enrichment. We have not changed anything and we have not developed new capabilities,” he added. Iran is now enriching at levels far from the ceiling set at 3.67% by the 2015 international agreement governing Tehran’s atomic activities, and is approaching the 90% necessary to produce an atomic bomb. However, he denies wanting to acquire the atomic bomb.
The slowdown in the rate of production to 60%, noted by the IAEA a few months ago, was seen by experts as a gesture, while talks to relaunch the informal agreement had resumed with the United States. This agreement was shattered following Washington’s withdrawal in 2018, decided by the then American president, Donald Trump. His successor Joe Biden tried to revive him through discussions held in Vienna, but they have been at a standstill since the summer of 2022.
However, animosity has risen a notch in recent months with the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Hamas, which Washington and Tehran mutually accuse each other of aggravating. The Islamic Republic has also excluded IAEA inspectors and disconnected cameras necessary for monitoring its nuclear program.