UN watchdog says Iran has slowed uranium enrichment
Jeremiah Poff
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The Islamic Republic of Iran has slowed its enrichment of uranium, according to a new report from a United Nations nuclear watchdog.
The confidential report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which was shared with a handful of media outlets, indicates that the Iran nuclear program has enriched 121.6 kilograms (or 268 pounds) of uranium at 60%, according to the Associated Press. Weapons-grade-level enrichment is 90%.
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The total volume of enriched uranium is up from 250 pounds in May, which was an increase from 192 pounds in February, indicating that the country has significantly slowed its rate of enrichment.
The decline in enrichment could be seen as a concession of sorts to Western countries, including the United States, which have pressed Iran to cease uranium enrichment through indirect talks, and it also comes as the Biden administration seeks renewed negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program.
The Biden administration has repeatedly sought to reengage negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program after then-President Donald Trump unilaterally exited a nuclear deal in 2018 that had been negotiated by the Obama administration.
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Since the collapse of the Obama-era deal, Iran has significantly increased its enrichment of uranium while insisting that the country’s nuclear program is exclusively for peaceful and civilian purposes. The country has yet to manufacture nuclear weapons.
Iran and the U.S. are in the midst of negotiating a prisoner exchange that would see five U.S. citizens currently under house arrest in Iran return to America. It is expected that the U.S. will also release several Iranian prisoners back to their home country, in addition to allowing up to $7 billion to be transferred to Iran.