The United Kingdom, France and Germany accused Iran on Tuesday December 17 of increasing its stock of highly enriched uranium to “unprecedented levels” sans “no credible civil justification”. The three countries also believed that Iran should “reverse its nuclear escalation”in a statement before a UN Security Council meeting on Tehran’s nuclear program. The Islamic Republic defends the right to nuclear power for civilian purposes, particularly for energy, but denies wanting to acquire an atomic bomb, which Western countries suspect.
“Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium has reached unprecedented levels, again without any credible civilian justification”assured the three countries, in a format known as E3, adding that this “gave Iran the ability to quickly produce enough fissile material for several nuclear weapons”. “Iran has accelerated the installation of advanced centrifuges, another damaging step in its efforts to undermine the nuclear deal it claims to support”added the three countries.
Uranium enriched to 60%
In 2015, Tehran concluded an agreement in Vienna with France, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Russia and the United States to regulate its nuclear program. In return, the text provided for a reduction in international sanctions against Tehran. But in 2018, Donald Trump, then President of the United States, unilaterally withdrew his country from the agreement – with which Tehran complied, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) – and reestablished heavy sanctions.
In retaliation, Tehran significantly increased its reserves of enriched materials. Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to possess uranium enriched to 60%, according to the IAEA. The enrichment threshold necessary to manufacture an atomic weapon is 90%. The E3 mentioned last week in a letter to the UN Security Council a possible use of the mechanism reimposing sanctions.
