Iran warned Sunday it will retaliate if European powers “exploit” UN reports showing it has stepped up production of highly enriched uranium and detailing its past secretive nuclear activities.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a statement he had told International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi in a phone call that “Iran will respond to any inappropriate action by the European parties,” referring to Britain, France and Germany.
His remarks were made after the UN nuclear watchdog released a confidential report to member states detailing Iran’s secret nuclear activities with material not declared to the agency at three locations that have long been under investigation.
Another report issued by the agency found that Iran had sharply increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, close to the roughly 90 percent level needed for atomic weapons.
Iran’s total amount of enriched uranium now exceeds 45 times the limit authorized by the landmark 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement with world powers, and is estimated at 9,247.6 kilograms (20,387.5 pounds), according to the confidential IAEA report.
Using the IAEA’s findings, the United States, Britain, France and Germany plan to submit a draft resolution for the agency’s board to adopt at its next meeting the week of June 9, diplomats said Saturday.
It would be the first time in almost 20 years that Iran has formally been found in non-compliance.
Araghchi urged Grossi in their call to stop “parties from exploiting” the nuclear watchdog report “to advance their political objectives,” according to the foreign minister’s statement Sunday.
Britain, France and Germany warned in May that they could reimpose sanctions if Iran’s nuclear program threatens the continent’s security, under the terms of a UN resolution ratifying the 2015 nuclear pact.
They were said to be mulling the option — known in diplomatic circles as the “snapback mechanism” — as a form of diplomatic leverage, as the US seeks to ramp up pressure on Iran amid ongoing nuclear talks between the two countries.