The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) this week said that Iran now has more than 12 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
The IAEA confirmed that Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium had reached 2,442.9kg (5,385.6lb) this month.
It also said that Iran’s explanation for the presence of nuclear material at an undeclared site was “not credible”. In its latest report, distributed to member states, the IAEA did not identify the site where it had found nuclear material.
Last year, Iran began deliberately and publicly reneging on commitments it had made under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), after US President Donald Trump abandoned the nuclear accord and reinstated economic sanctions.
Under the agreement, Iran is only allowed to produce up to 300kg of enriched uranium in a particular compound form (UF6), which is the equivalent of 202.8kg of uranium.
Iran this week also unveiled a new underground missile base system that could “overwhelm” nearby US military bases and Israel with rapid-fire bombs.
On Wednesday, Iranian state TV showed the new rapid transport and launch system for its long-range ballistic missiles. The footage comes just a week after Iran confirmed it had started building a new underground nuclear plant after its previous one exploded in what Tehran described as a sabotage attack over the summer.
Revolutionary Guard Commander Major General Hossein Salami attended the system’s unveiling ceremony. He boasted that “the flight of our missiles will shake the enemy’s core, and their force will push the enemy to retreat”.
