Iran agrees to increased IAEA oversight amid rising uranium enrichment

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Mohammad Eslami has confirmed that the country has agreed to heightened oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

This action was made in response to Western demands for greater transparency, Caliber.Az reports per Iranian media.

He explained that the decision was driven by Iran's increasing uranium enrichment activities, with the enhanced inspections seen as a natural result of the programme expansion.  

“As the scale of nuclear activities grows, the level of inspections must also rise,” Eslami said, without elaborating on the specifics of the increased monitoring.  

The decision follows reports from a confidential IAEA document, which revealed that Iran had agreed to more frequent and thorough inspections at the Fordow nuclear site.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran had significantly sped up its uranium enrichment, reaching up to 60 per cent purity at Fordow, which is close to the 90 per cent threshold needed for weapons-grade material. 

Western nations have labeled this as a serious escalation in the ongoing nuclear standoff with Iran. The IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency clarified that the increased monitoring refers to the frequency of inspections rather than a larger number of inspectors being deployed. 

Moreover, Eslami confirmed that Iran is working to resolve two unresolved cases involving undeclared nuclear materials.  

"‌We will engage with the IAEA regarding the two remaining locations to close the cases," he said.   

The IAEA Board of Governors continues to express concerns over the previous discovery of undeclared nuclear materials at multiple sites and Iran's inability to provide a full accounting of them. Last month, the Board passed a resolution calling on Iran to improve its cooperation with the agency. 

Proposed by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States, the resolution voiced serious concern over Iran's lack of adequate cooperation and the ongoing unresolved safeguards issues. It stressed the importance of Iran meeting its legal obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

By Naila Huseynova