Tehran moves closer to nuclear capability, new confidential report says

[LAUREN TAYLOR]

IRAN HAS EXPANDED ITS STOCK OF ENRICHED URANIUM TO CAPABILITIES CLOSE TO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

UPCOMING REVELATIONS IN NEW CONFIDENTIAL REPORT FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY.

RESULTS SHOW THAT AS OF MAY 11, IRAN HAS INCREASED ITS ENRICHED URANIUM BY MORE THAN 45 POUNDS SINCE THE LAST IAEA REPORT IN FEBRUARY.

THE AGENCY WARNS THAT THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC HAS STORED ENOUGH ENRICHED URANIUM TO MAKE “SEVERAL NUCLEAR BOMB.” IRAN'S 60 PERCENT OF ENRICHED URANIUM COULD BE CONVERTED INTO FULL WEAPONS IN A FEW DAYS, US OFFICIALS SAID.

IRAN HAS SAID ITS NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS NOT DESIGNED FOR WEAPONS.

TENSIONS HAVE INCREASED BETWEEN IRAN AND THE IAEA SINCE 2018, THE YEAR THAT FORMER PRESIDENT Trump WITHDRAWED THE UNITED STATES FROM THE TEHRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT.

UNDER THE 2015 NUCLEAR AGREEMENT, TEHRAN AGREED TO LIMIT URANIUM ENRICHMENT IN EXCHANGE FOR LIFTED SANCTIONS AND UN INSPECTORS WERE ABLE TO VISIT IRANIAN NUCLEAR SITES.

INSPECTORS HAVE SINCE BEEN BANNED FROM MONITORING IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM.

BUT THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS TRIED TO STRENGTHEN DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH IRAN, IN ACCORDANCE WITH OBAMA-ERA POLICY.

NOW REPORTS THAT THE WHITE HOUSE AND EUROPEAN ALLIES OF THE UNITED STATES ARE IN DIFFICULTY OVER HOW TO HANDLE THE LATEST REVELATIONS.

EU NATIONS, LEADED BY FRANCE AND THE UK, WANT TO CENSOR IRAN.
Diplomats tell the Wall Street Journal that the Biden administration is opposing censorship efforts, instead choosing to pressure Iran with the possibility of future sanctions.

U.S. officials denied the newspaper's report that the United States was pushing to stop the European Union's censorship efforts.

TO READ MORE ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS IN IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAM – YOU CAN CLICK ON THIS STORY ON SAN-DOT-COM AND DOWNLOAD THE APP FOR THE LATEST UPDATES.

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