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IAEA inspector in Iran (archive picture): The attempts to revive the nuclear agreement have been running since April
Photo: imago stock & people / imago images / UPI Photo
Attempts have been made for months to revive the nuclear deal with Iran.
Despite international criticism, the regime in Tehran continues to enrich uranium.
A report by the UN nuclear regulator IAEA now documents that Iran has made progress in this area.
The IAEA announced on Monday that the country produced uranium with an enrichment of up to 20 percent.
This is the third step in a four-step plan.
The fourth step involves making a reactor fuel plate.
The technology and knowledge of how to make it can be used to make the core of an atomic bomb.
The Islamic Republic denies having such plans.
"Iran has no credible need to manufacture uranium metal that is directly relevant to the development of nuclear weapons," said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
He called on Iran "to end its nuclear escalation and return to negotiations on full implementation of the nuclear deal."
Attempts to revive the nuclear deal have been ongoing since April.
Under Donald Trump, the US unilaterally withdrew from the pact in 2018 and again imposed tough sanctions on Iran.
The country then gradually began to violate the requirements, particularly with regard to uranium enrichment.
The agreement with Iran was signed in 2015 by the USA, Russia, China, Great Britain, France and Germany.
It is supposed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
Trump's successor Joe Biden has declared himself ready in principle to start new direct negotiations with Iran, but insists that the country must first abide by its obligations under the nuclear agreement.
Iran, in turn, makes the lifting of US punitive measures a precondition.
asc / Reuters
