Both the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency and the E3 group of nations expressed concerns over Iran’s uranium enrichment in their statements at the Board of Governors meeting.
International Atomic Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi emphasized that Iran’s enrichment of 60% purity is close to the required purity of 90% for nuclear weapons, and far from 3.67% required for nuclear power stations and required of the nuclear deal between Iran and the U.S. under then-president Donald Trump (R). Grossi also said it has been over three years since IAEA could conduct complementary access to Iran’s facilities.
“I reiterate to the new government of the Islamic Republic of Iran my call for, and disposition to continue with, the high-level dialogue and ensuing technical exchanges commenced as a result of the meetings with the late Foreign Minister and the current acting Foreign Minister,” Grossi said in his introductory remarks.
The E3 group of nations — consisting of France, Britain, and Germany — thanked Grossi for his report on Iran’s nuclear program, and concurred with similar suspicions of Iran’s uranium enrichment activities. They urged Iran to halt its nuclear escalation, return to the enrichment limits of the 2015 nuclear deal, refrain from making nuclear threats, and to return to the transparency and inspection measures it agreed upon with the IAEA.
“These steps would help rebuild the urgently needed trust between Iran and the international community,” the E3 statement said.
The IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors meeting is happening this week in Vienna. At a Board of Governors meeting 18 months ago, the IAEA passed a resolution ordering Iran to cooperate with an investigation into uranium particles found at its sites.
Reuters said in an article last week that the United States does not want another resolution against Iran, though, saying they do not want to give Iran a reason to escalate their nuclear activities. The U.S. State Department has also said that Iran is not building a nuclear weapon, and that the Joe Biden (D) administration will not allow them to build one.
Tensions are also high between Israel and Iran after an Israeli airstrike killed over 45 people in an airstrike on Rafah in Gaza last weekend. Israel has threatened to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, while Iran has threatened to change its nuclear doctrine if attacked by Israel.
The Board of Governors meeting is also happening weeks after Grossi visited Tehran in early May to meet with the foreign minister on Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and even sooner after the foreign minister and president died in a helicopter crash 434 miles outside of Tehran.
