The International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA) is worried. Iran increased “very worrying” its uranium reserves enriched at 60 %, a threshold close to the 90 % necessary to make a nuclear weapon, according to a confidential report from the IAEA consulted by AFP this Wednesday 26 FEBRUARY. The total of the uranium reserves enriched at 60 % amounted to 274.8 kg on February 8 (against 182.3 kg three months earlier), which marks a clear acceleration of production pace by this country.
“Iran is now producing almost enough uranium enriched at 60 % each month to build a nuclear weapon if the rate is 90 %,” said Ali Vaez, Iran specialist internationally Crisis Group.
According to the AIEA document, published a few days before the opening in Vienna of a meeting of the Council of Governors of the UN body, the total reserves of enriched uranium amounted to 8294.4 kg (against 6604 , 4 kg previously), more than 41 times the limit authorized by the 2015 international agreement concluded with the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China and Russia. The IAEA promises a full report by spring 2025, as requested by European countries and the United States in a resolution.
New advanced centrifuges put into service
Tehran warned in early December 2024 of his intention to move up a gear in retaliation for the adoption of a critical resolution by the Council of Governors of the AIEA. Iran has also announced the commissioning of new advanced centrifuges, these machines used to enrich uranium.
The director general of the AIEA Rafael Grossi regrets “deeply that Iran, although indicated that it was willing to consider the designation of four additional experienced inspectors, did not accept their designations”, specifies the report .
Tehran defends a right to nuclear power for civil purposes, especially for energy, but denies wanting to have an atomic bomb. He has gradually returned in recent years to all of his commitments made within the framework of the agreement concluded in 2015. Washington, under the previous mandate of Donald Trump, was indeed unilaterally withdrew from this pact in 2018, making derail the process.
The validity of the text runs until October 2025 and certain countries do not exclude reproducing after this date of sanctions against Iran. Attempts to rekindle the agreement, now an empty shell, have since failed. Iranian diplomacy chief Abbas Araghchi still dismissed any “direct negotiation” with the United States in the current context of “maximum pressure” on Tuesday.