Iran Continues to Enrich Uranium Well Above Limits Set by Nuclear Deal

JERUSALEM, Israel –  Iran is continuing to increase its stockpile of low-enriched uranium in violation of the nuclear deal it signed with world powers in 2015, the UN’s atomic watchdog group said on Wednesday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that as of Nov. 2, Iran had a stockpile of 5385.7 pounds of low-enriched uranium, up from 4,641.6 pounds in August. This is more than ten times above the limit allowed under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

According to the JCPOA, signed in 2015 with Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States, Iran is only allowed to keep a stockpile of 447 pounds or less.

Iran is also enriching uranium to a greater purity than allowed under the JCPOA, the agency said. Iran is enriching uranium to a purity of up to 4.5%, higher than the 3.67% limit. 

The Iran nuclear deal was established to give Iran economic incentives in exchange for the Islamic Republic agreeing to scale back its nuclear program. Iran claims it does not intend to create a bomb and that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes. President Donald Trump called the agreement “horrible” and unilaterally pulled out of the agreement in 2018. The US then imposed heavy sanctions on Iran, crippling the country’s economy.

Meanwhile, the deal’s remaining parties are working to salvage the agreement.

Iran has continued to allow UN inspectors access to its nuclear sites for inspection. However, the IAEA report said the agency still has questions about the discovery of man-made uranium particles found last year at a site that had not been declared by Iran.

The US and Israel have been urging the agency to examine Iran’s Turquzabad facility, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed is a “secret atomic warehouse.”

The agency said Iran’s response to questions about these mystery uranium particles were “unsatisfactory” and a full explanation is still needed.

Saudi Arabia, a sworn enemy of Iran, is also urging the international community to put more pressure on Iran.

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud said on Thursday that the world must take “a decisive stance” against Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“The kingdom stresses the dangers of Iran’s regional project, its interference in other countries, its fostering of terrorism, its fanning the flames of sectarianism and calls for a decisive stance from the international community against Iran that guarantees a drastic handling of its efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction and develop its ballistic missiles program,” the king said.