After report about Iran's increasing uranium stockpiles, Iranian FM stresses Iran's cooperation

The Iranian Foreign Minister says helium has spoken by telephone with the manager of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog bureau aft a study from the bureau said Iran is further expanding its stockpile of uranium enriched to adjacent weapons-grade levels

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- The Iranian Foreign Minister spoke by telephone with the manager of the U.N.’s atomic watchdog bureau aboriginal Sunday greeting aft a study from the bureau said Iran is further expanding its stockpile of uranium enriched to adjacent weapons-grade levels.

Writing connected Telegram, Abbas Araghchi said helium stressed Iran’s “continuous cooperation” successful his speech with Rafael Mariano Grossi, the caput of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA did not instantly instrumentality a petition for remark astir the telephone call.

The confidential IAEA report, which was seen by the Associated Press connected Saturday, raised a stern warning, saying that Iran is present “the lone non-nuclear-weapon authorities to nutrient specified material” — thing the bureau said was of “serious concern.”

Araghchi emphasized to Grossi that each of Iran’s atomic activities are wrong the model of agreements and being monitored by the IAEA. The IAEA said successful a abstracted study that Iran’s practice with the bureau has been “less than satisfactory” erstwhile it comes to uranium traces discovered by IAEA inspectors astatine respective locations successful Iran that Tehran has failed to state arsenic atomic sites.

Araghchi besides asked Grossi to guarantee “that definite parties bash not exploit the bureau for governmental agendas against the Iranian people.” European nations could instrumentality further steps against Iran based connected the broad report, starring to a imaginable escalation successful tensions betwixt Iran and the West.

Iran's lawman overseas curate connected Sunday published a elaborate response, rejecting galore of the report's findings. Kazem Gharibabadi noted that retired of the IAEA's 682 inspections of 32 states, 493 were carried retired successful Iran alone.

“So agelong arsenic a country’s atomic activities are nether the IAEA’s monitoring, determination is nary origin for concern,” helium said. “The Islamic Republic of Iran is neither pursuing atomic weapons nor does it person immoderate undeclared atomic materials oregon activities.”

The IAEA study said that arsenic of May 17, Iran has amassed 408.6 kilograms (900.8 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%.

That’s an summation of astir 50% since the IAEA’s past study successful February. The 60% enriched worldly is simply a short, method measurement distant from weapons-grade levels of 90%.

The telephone speech betwixt Araghchi and Grossi came hours aft Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi, who is mediating the U.S.-Iran talks, visited Tehran connected Saturday to contiguous the latest U.S. connection for ongoing talks.

The U.S.-Iran talks are attempting to bounds Iran’s atomic programme successful speech for the lifting of immoderate of the crushing economical sanctions the U.S. has imposed connected the Islamic Republic, which person strained relations for astir 50 years. The fifth circular of talks betwixt the U.S. and Iran concluded successful Rome past week with “some but not conclusive progress,” al-Busaidi said astatine the time.

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