In the early hours of Sunday, Iran’s Foreign Minister engaged in a phone call with the head of the United Nations’ nuclear oversight body following a revealing report concerning Iran’s escalated accumulation of uranium at levels edging close to weapons-grade. Abbas Araghchi, highlighting Iran’s commitment to cooperation, discussed ongoing arrangements with Rafael Mariano Grossi, leader of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquartered in Vienna. While the agency has yet to comment on the conversation, the confidential report, disclosed on Saturday, has sparked significant alarm by identifying Iran as the sole non-nuclear-weapon state undertaking such production, which has left the agency deeply concerned.
During the dialogue, Araghchi assured Grossi that Iran’s nuclear ventures remain within established agreements, consistently observed by the IAEA. Nonetheless, a separate agency report describes Iran’s lackluster cooperation concerning unidentified uranium traces scrutinized by IAEA in locations unreported by Tehran as nuclear sites. He urged Grossi to guard against any parties leveraging the agency for political purposes against Iran.
This development potentially paves the way for European countries to levy additional measures on Iran based on the agency’s extensive reporting, all of which threatens an upswing in tensions between Iran and Western nations. On Sunday, Iran’s deputy foreign minister released a comprehensive counter to the agency’s findings, disputing several conclusions. Kazem Gharibabadi pointed out that among the IAEA’s 682 inspections across 32 states, 493 transpired within Iran alone.
Gharibabadi remarked that as long as the IAEA monitors a nation’s nuclear activities, apprehensions should be abated. He stressed that Iran neither seeks nuclear armaments nor harbors any concealed nuclear materials or activities, reiterating that Iran’s operations remain transparent under vigilant oversight.
According to the IAEA report, up until May 17, Iran had gathered 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%, marking a steep rise of close to 50% since the agency’s February evaluation. Such enrichment levels are merely a technical margin away from reaching 90%, recognized as weapons-grade. The call between Araghchi and Grossi followed shortly after a visit by Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi to Tehran reported on Saturday. Al-Busaidi, mediating discussions between the U.S. and Iran, conveyed the latest U.S. proposals for the continuing negotiations.
These U.S.-Iran talks are concentrated on curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions in return for relief from the impactful economic sanctions exerted by the U.S. on Iran, a point of contention over the last five decades. The fifth dialogue round between Washington and Tehran concluded in Rome recently, marked by incremental but inconclusive advancements, according to Al-Busaidi.