Iran is only non-nuclear armed state enriching uranium to 60%, IAEA says

Iran has significantly increased its supply of near-weapons-grade uranium in just three months, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday, highlighting Iran's unique position as the only non-nuclear weapon state enriching to such levels.

"Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched up to 60% U‑235 has increased to 275 kg, up from 182 kg in the past quarter," IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi in his statement to the agency’s Board of Governors on Monday.

"Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon State enriching to this level, causing me serious concern," Grossi added.

The IAEA has argued in the past that there is no credible civilian use for uranium enriched to 60%, which is a short step from weapons-grade 90% enriched fissile material.

US President Donald Trump has demanded Iran end all programs that can enable it to produce nuclear weapons as a pre-condition for an agreement that would lift economic sanctions.

"It is also four years since the Agency was able to conduct complementary access in Iran," Grossi added in his statement.

He said Iran claims it has declared all of its nuclear material and activities, but "this statement is inconsistent with the Agency’s findings of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at undeclared locations in Iran."

The IAEA still does not know "the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment involved," said the head of the UN nuclear watchdog.

Grossi also pointed to an unexplained issue with Iran’s past uranium metal production. "There is also a discrepancy in the material balance of uranium involved in uranium metal production experiments conducted at Jaber Ibn Hayan Multipurpose Laboratory, for which Iran has not accounted," he said.

He said Iran is not following "modified Code 3.1, which is a legal obligation," and warned that the "outstanding safeguards issues remain unresolved." He added, "They stem from Iran’s obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and need to be resolved for the Agency to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful."

Grossi said Iran had indicated it would consider accepting four additional IAEA inspectors but ultimately did not approve them. "I deeply regret that Iran did not accept their designation," he said.

"There has been no significant progress towards implementing the Joint Statement of 4 March 2023," Grossi said, urging Iran to engage with the IAEA. He said he will submit a "comprehensive and updated assessment on the presence and use of undeclared nuclear material" as requested by the IAEA Board in November 2024.

Grossi said his talks with Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, showed that "there may be room for constructive compromises." He added, "I hope to see them again soon and pursue effective dialogue and tangible results."

At a press conference in Vienna on Monday after the IAEA Board of Governors meeting Grossi stressed the need for Iran to provide answers. "What we need is real answers (from Iran). What we need is an engagement that is moving forward. We need to stop talking about process and start getting some answers as soon as possible," he said when asked what the agency expects from Iran.

Addressing broader diplomatic efforts, Grossi said, "An important statement by President Trump was when he said that he wants to have some form of a deal, some form of an agreement (with Iran)," Grossi said. "We need to engage as soon as possible, because time is passing."