Iran to boost uranium enrichment after IAEA censure

Tehran plans to activate a series of advanced centrifuges in response to the IAEA Board of Governors' resolution censuring Iran for its lack of cooperation, according to the deputy head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.

"We will significantly increase enrichment capacity," Behrouz Kamalvandi said Friday, after earlier threats to respond sharply against a censure resolution.

On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution criticizing Iran and ordering better cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.

Nineteen countries voted in favor and three - China, Russia and Burkina Faso - against, with 12 abstaining during the quarterly meeting of the Board of Governors.

"The Westerners are trying to push our nuclear industry backward through pressure tactics. The votes in favor of the new resolution against Iran were significantly fewer than before," Kamalvandi added.

An earlier resolution in June, tabled by France, Britain, and Germany (E3), received significant support, with 20 member states voting in favor. The two countries who voted against the resolution were Iran's allies, China and Russia. The decision saw 12 countries abstaining from the vote.

Kamalvandi said Iran showcased its enrichment complex, equipped with thousands of centrifuges, during International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi's visit to Tehran last week.

"The director-general proposed a temporary pause on reserves of 60% and higher enrichment levels—not a permanent halt, but a temporary measure," Kamalvandi added.

He noted that Iran accepted Grossi's proposal but "with conditions," declining to provide further details.

The latest IAEA Board of Governors' resolution, backed by the E3, follows months of heightened tensions over Iran’s uranium enrichment and a deepening confrontation between Iran and Israel, with mutual missile attacks and air strikes.

Earlier on Friday, an Iranian lawmaker also called for the immediate removal of nuclear enrichment restrictions, following Thursday’s IAEA Board of Governors' resolution against the Islamic Republic.

"We must set aside previous considerations regarding our nuclear issues," Mohammadreza Mohseni Sani, a member of Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee said.

Tehran’s interim Friday prayer leader Ahmad Khatami also criticized the IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution, calling it a show of support for the “murderous Zionist regime.” He urged Iran’s foreign policy officials to deliver a "decisive response."

Iranian officials had previously dismissed the resolution, accusing the E3 and their allies of undermining recent diplomatic efforts. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his French counterpart on Wednesday that the move complicates matters and contradicted the "positive atmosphere created between Iran and the IAEA.”