The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared this Thursday that Iran continues to expand its nuclear capabilities, a week after its Board of Governors approved a resolution criticizing the lack of cooperation that of Tehran.
The IAEA informed its members today that Tehran informed it that it was installing more structures for uranium enrichment at the Natanz and Fordow facilities, according to a statement from the UN specialized agency.
A diplomatic source considered this development “moderate”.
The motion presented by the United Kingdom, France and Germany, with opposition from China and Russia, at the meeting of the IAEA Council, made up of 35 countries, was the first of its kind since November 2022.
The resolution, which Tehran called “hasty and reckless”, came at a time of impasse over the escalation of Iran’s nuclear activities and amid fears among Western powers that Tehran is trying to create a nuclear weapon, which Iran denies.
Although symbolic in nature at this stage, the motion of censure aims to increase diplomatic pressure on Iran, with the possibility of referring the issue to the UN Security Council.
In the past, similar resolutions led Tehran to retaliate, removing surveillance cameras and other equipment from its nuclear facilities and intensifying uranium enrichment activities.
According to the IAEA, Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state to enrich uranium to a high level of 60% – close to military quality – while continuing to accumulate large reserves of uranium.
The IAEA declared that Tehran has considerably accelerated its nuclear program and now has enough material to produce several atomic bombs.
The Islamic Republic has gradually broken its commitments under the nuclear agreement signed with world powers in 2015.
This historic agreement allowed the lifting of Western economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for limiting its nuclear program to peaceful purposes, but began to deteriorate after the unilateral withdrawal of the United States in 2018, under the presidency of Donald Trump, who reimposed sanctions on Tehran.
