Iran Denies Enriching Uranium Above 60% Amid IAEA Row

Facts

• Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesperson, Behrouz Kamalvandi, on Monday denied claims that the country has enriched uranium to 84% purity, not far below the 90% required to make it weapons-grade.¹
• Bloomberg reported on Sunday that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had detected uranium enriched to 84% purity in the country, adding that inspectors for the nuclear watchdog are now trying to determine whether the development was deliberate or not.²
• Particles with a purity of higher than 60% have reportedly been found by inspectors previously. However, the discovery does not necessarily mean that there has been enrichment over 60%, with Iranian officials claiming it may have stemmed from a momentary decrease in the feed of centrifuge cascades.³
• Following the news, the IAEA stated that it is discussing the results of its latest verification activities with Tehran. The body, which inspects Iran's nuclear facilities and flags significant developments, has not yet issued a report on the matter.⁴
• The watchdog is preparing its quarterly Iran safeguards report ahead of the March 6 Board of Governors meeting in Vienna — Iran has reportedly failed to submit the required forms announcing its intention to raise uranium enrichment levels at two facilities ahead of the conference.²
• Negotiations to revive the Iranian nuclear deal with world powers, known as the JCPOA, resumed in April 2021 but have since stalled. Talks last collapsed three years ago, following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA under the Trump administration.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Bloomberg, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴Voa and ⁵The times of israel.

Narratives

• Anti-Iran, as provided by Jerusalem post. There is not much time left to stop the Iranian nuclear program now that uranium enrichment at 84% purity has been detected — a level only used for weapons production. This news shows that Iran never sought to enrich uranium for civilian use, and that the now dormant nuclear deal — part of a misguided attempt to respond diplomatically to the nation's aggression — only facilitated Tehran becoming a nuclear power. A credible military threat is urgently required to prevent escalation.
• Pro-Iran, as provided by Presstv. Reports that Iran is intentionally producing near weapons-grade uranium are slander and an unfair distortion of the facts. Just because some uranium has tested at 84% purity does not mean that uranium is being intentionally enriched at that level. Iran is committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and its safeguards agreement with the IAEA — an organization that should not be politicized.

Predictions