Iran has agreed to stop producing uranium enriched close to the level required for nuclear weapons, a sign the Islamic Republic may be ready to resolve a stand-off with the West over its atomic activities.
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Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Tuesday that Iran has begun implementing measures “aimed at stopping the increase of its stockpile,” according to a 12-page report seen by Bloomberg News. The Islamic Republic’s engineers have already taken the first steps necessary to cap output, the IAEA wrote.
Iran’s commitment followed discussions between IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian this month in Tehran.
While the IAEA still needs to finalise investigations into past Iranian activities, a cap on Iran’s stockpile “would be important” to start rebuilding trust, Grossi wrote in the report.
Iran began enriching uranium at up to 60 per cent levels in 2021. That material could quickly be upgraded to the 90 per cent level typically used in nuclear weapons, prompting concern across Europe and the US.
The IAEA’s safeguards report is the last before US president-elect Donald Trump takes office in January, and speculation has been rife about how his administration will address relations with Iran.
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