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The Iranian flag in front of the IAEA building in Vienna (archive image)
Photo: Leonhard Foeger / REUTERS
Iran continues to expand its nuclear program with undiminished momentum.
According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Tehran has now increased the amount of highly enriched uranium again.
At the same time, according to an analysis by the IAEA, the Islamic Republic is using ever more modern and powerful centrifuges for the production of highly enriched uranium.
To build an atomic bomb, uranium must be 90 percent pure.
According to the report, Iran now has ten kilograms of uranium that is almost weapons-grade and enriched to 60 percent.
Most recently it was 2.4 kilograms.
The total amount of uranium has, however, decreased by 700 kilograms to around 2500 kilograms compared to the IAEA's Iran report from June.
According to the report, this means that Iran is clearly violating the requirements of the 2015 Vienna Atomic Energy Agreement, which was supposed to prevent it from building an atomic bomb.
Tehran claims that its nuclear program is only for civilian purposes.
The IAEA also complained about the lack of control options.
Iran had restricted inspections of some of its nuclear facilities in late February.
Since then, "the inspection and monitoring measures of the authority have been seriously impaired," it says in the report.
Strive for a negotiated solution
Meanwhile, Iran reaffirmed its willingness to continue negotiations to revive the agreement in Vienna.
A date for this was not given.
The negotiations on the rescue of the nuclear deal, which had been going on in Vienna since April, were interrupted after the presidential election in mid-June and the change of government in Iran.
The remaining partners in the deal - China, Germany, France, the UK and Russia - are looking to get the US back on the deal.
At the same time, Iran should also comply with its conditions again
sol / dpa / afp