Vienna (Newsman): In confidential briefings to member states on Tuesday, the UN nuclear watchdog stated that Iran made plans to increase its supply of uranium enriched to up to 60% purity, which is close to about 90% of weapons-grade, and has offered not to do so.
However, the offer is conditional on the Western powers giving up on a resolution against Iran at this week’s meeting of the 35-nation Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency for its lack of cooperation with the IAEA, diplomats said, adding that the effort was still going on.
According to one of two confidential quarterly IAEA reports reviewed by Reuters, “the possibility of Iran not further expanding its stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U-235 was discussed” during IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s visit to Iran last week.
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The IAEA has confirmed that Iran had “begun implementation of preparatory measures,” it added. According to a top diplomat, Iran offered to limit its uranium enrichment stock to as much as 60%, or about 185 kg, which is what it had two days prior.
By IAEA standards, that is theoretically sufficient for four nuclear bombs if further enhanced. Iranian nuclear weapons ambitions are denied.
Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60%, according to the report, increased by 17.6 kg since the last assessment and was 182.3 kg as of October 26. It was also sufficient for four weapons by that measure.
The second report stated that Iran has also consented to allow four additional “experienced inspectors” to work in Iran after barring the majority of the IAEA’s enrichment-focused inspectors last year, which the IAEA described as a “very serious blow” to its capacity to carry out its duties effectively in Iran.
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Diplomats claimed that while the top diplomat acknowledged that they may be specialists in enrichment, they could not be the same experts who were prohibited.
Grossi’s visit to Iran, where he tried to persuade Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, to settle a deadlock with the IAEA on long-standing issues such as unexplained uranium traces at undeclared sites and expanding IAEA oversight to more areas, caused a delay in the released reports.