IAEA Confirms Uranium Enrichment Past Limit
EghtesadOnline: The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed on Monday that Iran has enriched uranium at a level higher than the limit set in its 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.
Inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency "on July 8 verified that Iran is enriching uranium above 3.67% U-235," the IAEA said in a statement, AFP reported.
The announcement came hours after Tehran said it had exceeded the agreed cap and reached 4.5% enrichment in response to the United States withdrawing from the deal and the remaining parties’ failure to make up for the negative impact of the US pullout on Iran’s international trade.
Iran announced on May 8 that it no longer considered itself bound to keep to limits of stocks of heavy water and enriched uranium agreed as part of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to Financial Tribune.
The move came over a year after US President Donald Trump pulled out of the landmark accord between world powers and Tehran, which says it has lost patience with inaction by the remaining partners, particularly Europeans.
Tehran is now pushing the remaining signatories to keep their promise to help Iran work around biting sanctions reimposed by the US in the second half of last year.
JCPOA permitted Iran to only enrich uranium to the level of 3.67%. Iranian officials have hinted they may go up to 5%, the level needed to produce fuel for Iran's only nuclear power station.
Earlier this month, IAEA confirmed that Iran had slightly exceeded the deal's 300-kilogram limit on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.
IAEA has scheduled a special meeting on Iran's nuclear program at its Vienna headquarters for Wednesday.