IAEA Chief Announces Iran"s Agreement to Halt 60% Uranium Enrichment

The confidential reports by the IAEA say Tehran has made preparations to cap the stockpile at around 185 kg (407 lbs). Iran also agreed to consider accepting the appointment of four additional experienced IAEA inspectors after having banned around one third, last year.

Photo: Agencia EFE

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced on Wednesday that Iran has agreed to halt the expansion of its uranium stockpile enriched to 60%, following a request made during his recent talks in Tehran.

"I made a request for Iran to stop increasing the stockpile of 60%, and this was accepted," Grossi said in his report to the agency's Board of Governors in Vienna on Wednesday, The Caspian Post reports, citing Iranian media.

The IAEA chief said the agreement to freeze the 60% uranium stockpile does not imply an immediate resolution to broader concerns about Iran’s nuclear activities, however.

The agency remains unable to verify certain aspects of Iran’s program due to limited access following Tehran's cessation of its JCPOA-related commitments in early 2021.

Citing reports to the body's member states, Reuters reported that Iran has offered to cap its stock of near weapons grade nuclear fuel on condition that no censure resolution will be issued at a Wednesday meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog.

The confidential reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say Tehran has made preparations to cap the stockpile at around 185 kg (407 lbs). Iran also agreed to consider accepting the appointment of four additional experienced IAEA inspectors after having banned around one third, last year.

Diplomats informed Reuters that Western powers are advocating for a censure resolution at the IAEA Board of Governors, despite Iran's reported offer. Similarly, The Wall Street Journal cited sources stating that France, Britain, and Germany (the E3) plan to proceed with the resolution during Wednesday's meeting.

In his latest report to the Board of Directors, the Director General of the IAEA said Iran's nuclear program has continued to grow, in spite of global sanctions. “Following my last report, Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 20% and up to 60% U-235 continued to increase," he said.

The report also states that the IAEA's findings regarding particles of uranium of human origin at undeclared locations in Iran remain inconsistent, and the agency requires information about the current whereabouts of the nuclear materials or related contaminated equipment.