Iran continues to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, says IAEA

VIENNA, Aug. 29 (DPA/EP) –

The stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran’s warehouses has increased in recent months, according to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has reiterated its “growing concern” over an industrial activity that continues unabated in a context of maximum geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.

The breakdown of the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 with international powers has led in recent years to a practically constant increase in the figures for uranium enriched to 60 percent, a material that, at maximum purity levels (90 percent), can be used to manufacture atomic weapons.

Between May and August, Iran’s enriched uranium production has increased by 23 kilograms, reaching nearly 163 kilograms, according to a report released Thursday by the international agency. Tehran maintains that this activity has no military purposes, although the head of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, has indicated that he is not aware of any other non-nuclear-weapon state aspiring to the same level of enrichment.

The agency also noted that there has been no dialogue with Iran since the election of the new president, Masud Pezeshkian. There is also no indication that Tehran is willing to allow inspections of its facilities by international experts again, as the IAEA has been vainly demanding.