Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a May 27 confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report cited by Western agencies.
< p>Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity is now reported to be 142.1 kilograms, up 20.6 kilograms from February, when the agency's latest report came out.
The IAEA also reported that the death of Iran's president and foreign minister in a helicopter crash on May 19 led to a pause in UN talks with Tehran on improving cooperation.
In December 2023, the IAEA said that Iran had again picked up the pace. production of enriched uranium and has enough uranium enriched to 60% to create three atomic bombs, bringing the level of enrichment to 90 percent.
Tehran rejects suspicions that it aims to create an atomic bomb.
< p>In mid-September 2023, Iran announced that it was withdrawing the accreditation of several IAEA inspectors. However, as IAEA Director Raphael Grossi said, about a third of the employees of the UN nuclear energy agency in Iran were suspended.
On September 18, Germany, Great Britain, France and the United States called on Iran to “immediately cancel” your decision. A joint statement from the four countries said the IAEA has serious questions about nuclear materials that Iran has not answered for more than four years.