UN officials in Iran to resolve uncertainties over uranium enrichment

Mohammad Eslami, the official responsible for Iran’s nuclear activities, announced that inspectors from the United Nations (UN) nuclear agency had arrived in Tehran to examine Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and “resolve uncertainties.”

Following news in Bloomberg that an inspector for the UN nuclear agency detected 84 percent-purity enriched uranium in Iran, the UN announced last week that it was evaluating the results of its confirmatory studies with Iran. Enriched to a purity level of 84 percent, the uranium is considered close to the level required for weapons production.

According to reports in Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency, Eslami said: “Officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency came to Tehran, they have been conducting negotiations, visits and checks since yesterday. The uncertainties created by an inspector are being resolved,” he said.

IRAN DENIED THE CLAIMS

A spokesman for Iran’s atomic energy agency, in a statement on Monday, claimed that the information in the Bloomberg report was incorrect and that Iran’s uranium enrichment activities did not exceed the 60 percent purity level.

Eslami said: “We prevent the emergence of new uncertainties through communication and coordinated work and the interruption of our cooperation with the (UN nuclear) institution.”

With the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018, international sanctions against Iran were reinstated and Iran continued to enrich uranium to facilitate the development of nuclear weapons. As of April 2021, Iran was enriching uranium to 60% purity. (Reuters)