The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is in talks with Iran over the enrichment of uranium, which Tehran has denied intentionally reaching a purity of 84 percent. The US-based financial news agency Bloomberg reported this on Sunday, stating that inspectors with the IAEA had found uranium enriched to such a level, just below the 90 percent required for a bomb. Iranian officials have stated that they are not seeking a nuclear weapon.
The IAEA has acknowledged the reports and is discussing the results of recent verification activities with Iran. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, said that particles with a purity of higher than 60 percent had been found by inspectors, but that this was nothing out of the ordinary. He also accused the agency of being used as a “political tool” to pressure Iran with confidential reports leaked to Western media.
The Western parties to the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), have called on Iran to cooperate with the IAEA and restore its complete monitoring access. This was also raised in a phone call between the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Sunday.
Since September, when the Western parties accused Iran of derailing talks, they have imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iranian officials and entities. Tehran has maintained that it wants a deal and has accused the West of lacking political will. Russia and China are also part of the JCPOA. The IAEA is continuing to talk to Iran over enrichment, as Tehran says the agency is being used as a ‘political tool’.