The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a confidential report on Monday revealing that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium has reached 30 times the limit agreed upon in the 2015 nuclear deal under former President Barack Obama.
The IAEA report also noted that Iran continues to obstruct its operations by preventing its most experienced inspectors from monitoring nuclear facilities.
“The present state is completely unsatisfactory for me. We are almost at an impasse and this needs to be changed,” Grossi stated upon his return to Vienna from Tehran.
Grossi mentioned in January that Iran now possesses enough enriched uranium to construct “several nuclear weapons.” By this, he meant that Iran had accumulated enough near-weapons-grade material — far exceeding any rational civilian requirement — to further refine it and create simple atomic weapons.
Grossi and other IAEA officials have viewed Iran’s growing uranium stockpile with caution, wary that pushing Iran too hard might lead to even less cooperation. Additionally, Iran’s involvement in the Gaza war and its increasing ties with Russia have been cited as reasons for a careful approach.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), often known for publishing unsubstantiated and anonymous claims as “exclusive” journalism, reported on Monday that the Biden administration is pressuring Europe to back down from plans to censure Iran over its uranium enrichment.
According to the report, which cites “diplomats involved in discussions,” the UK and France were alarmed by the confidential IAEA assessment of Iran’s growing stocks of enriched uranium and concerned that Iran’s defiance would undermine the credibility of the IAEA.
The Biden administration, however, is reportedly apprehensive that Raisi’s death has made Iran more “volatile” and that sanctions could make Tehran permanently unwilling to return to the Obama nuclear deal — a goal Biden’s team still pursues despite years of provocations and noncompliance from Iran.
The Europeans, who were generally in favor of reviving the nuclear deal until recently, are reportedly finding Biden’s reluctance to censure Iran for even the most serious violations “frustrating.”
According to the WSJ, the Biden administration is privately informing European officials that it will request a comprehensive IAEA report that could be used to initiate a “snapback” of the remaining sanctions against Iran, which were lifted under Obama’s nuclear deal, but not until after the U.S. presidential election in November. Opposing candidate Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal in 2018, would likely seize the opportunity if Biden were to admit that Iran has significantly violated the agreement.
