Iran's acceleration in its enrichment of uranium to close to bomb grade is "extremely serious", has no civilian justification and contradicts Tehran's assertions on wanting serious nuclear negotiations, a Western diplomatic source said on Saturday.
Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons © Mena Today
Iran's acceleration in its enrichment of uranium to close to bomb grade is "extremely serious", has no civilian justification and contradicts Tehran's assertions on wanting serious nuclear negotiations, a Western diplomatic source said on Saturday.
Iran has long denied seeking nuclear weapons.
U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi told Reuters on Friday that Iran was dramatically accelerating its enrichment of uranium to up to 60% purity, close to the about 90% level that is weapons grade.
The International Atomic Energy Agency later confirmed in a confidential report to member states that Iran was speeding up uranium enrichment, a process that refines the raw material so that it can be used as fuel in civil nuclear power generation or, potentially, nuclear weapons.
"The information reported by the Director General of the Agency, indicating a significant increase in Iran's capacity to produce highly enriched uranium at 60%, is extremely serious," the Western diplomatic source told Reuters.
"These measures have no credible civilian justification and could, on the contrary, directly fuel a military nuclear programme if Iran were to take the decision...They are in contradiction with Iran's declarations on its willingness to return to credible negotiations."
Reporting by John Irish
While Donald Trump's teams are reportedly engaged in discussions over a potential ceasefire with Iran, covering the critical issues of nuclear capabilities, ballistic missiles, and proxy forces including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis, Tehran is publicly denying any such talks are underway.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez told lawmakers Wednesday that the current Middle East conflict is "far worse" than the Iraq War of 2003, a dramatic claim that says more about his domestic political calculations than any genuine diplomatic insight.
Turkey "is playing a role passing messages" between Iran and the U.S. to encourage de-escalation and direct negotiations, Harun Armagan, vice chair of foreign affairs for President Tayyip Erdogan's ruling party, told Reuters on Wednesday.
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