The United Nations Calls Iran Increasing Uranium Supplies Enriched To The Level Of Weapons

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian when receiving IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi. (Twitter/@rafaelmgrossi)

JAKARTA - Iran has increased its supply of uranium close to weapons levels by more than half within three months, the United Nations agency said on Monday.

The growth in Tehran's 60 percent enriched uranium supply makes it "the only non-nuclear country that enriches uranium to this level", said Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), quoted from The National March 4.

The enriched nuclear fuel to that level is considered only a step away from the 90 percent required for atomic weapons.

Grossi told the IAEA board of governors uranium supplies had risen from 182 kg to 275 kg in the previous quarter.

He further expressed "serious concern" over Iran's activities for obstructing inspections and avoiding the agency's demands to explain a series of undeclared nuclear tracks.

He said he was "deeply sorry" that Tehran had withdrawn from cooperation with four experienced IAEA inspectors, after indicating they might be willing to do so.

Without the information he is looking for, the agency cannot "provide guarantees Iran's nuclear program is solely peaceful", Grossi said.

On the other hand, Iran denies having any intention of developing nuclear weapons.

"The amount of enriched uranium by 60 percent grew very, very quickly," Grossi told reporters in Vienna after briefing the board of governors.

"All their capacity strengthening is ongoing and we see it in various facilities," he continued.

"There are doubts, there are concerns, so we, all the time, offer Iran a way to straighten the record if they believe there are unreasonable doubts," he said.

"In the context of current international tensions, we really need to put this on the right track," Grossi said.

Iran has now ignored the provisions of the 2015 nuclear agreement with major world countries for four years, Grossi said.

The United States withdrew from the agreement during Donald Trump's first term as president, restoring sanctions that had been lifted in exchange for restrictions on Iran's nuclear activity.

After returning to the White House, Trump restored his "maximum pressure" policy against Iran, vowing the US would "not tolerate" the country developing nuclear weapons.

Grossi said the IAEA was ready to play a role in every diplomatic process that emerged. He said "constantly in contact" with Iranian diplomats and further visits to Tehran were possible.