Iran has not allowed inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to access nuclear sites that were bombed in June, according to a confidential report. The IAEA noted that determining the amount of enriched uranium in Iran is overdue. Their guidelines require verification of highly enriched uranium stock regularly, especially the enriched uranium that reaches up to 60% purity, which is relatively close to weapons-grade at about 90%.
The IAEA has been urging Iran for months to clarify the status of its uranium stock and to allow inspections to resume. An agreement made in September in Cairo aimed to help with this but has not led to significant progress, and Iran claims the agreement is no longer valid. The report emphasizes the importance of verifying Iran’s nuclear material to avoid concerns over its possible use for non-peaceful purposes.
The IAEA is worried about the quantity of enriched uranium Iran possesses, which could potentially be enough for up to 10 nuclear bombs if further enriched. Iran, as a member of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is required to provide a report on the impact of the bombed facilities but has failed to do so, preventing the IAEA from conducting inspections.
With information from Reuters