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The UK Ambassador to the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned this week that “Iran’s nuclear programme has never before been this advanced, and is exposing the international community to unprecedented levels of risk”. The comments have been made against the backdrop of advanced-stage nuclear talks in Vienna to revive the JCPOA, which Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid has warned will produce an agreement as “bad and ineffective” as the previous 2015 deal which failed to hinder Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
The UK’s warning was made in a statement to the IAEA’s Board of Governors on behalf of the E3 – the UK, France & Germany – following the publication of their quarterly report into Iran’s nuclear activity which has detailed record levels of enrichment by Iran in clear breach of its existing JCPOA commitments.
The report highlighted areas of concern in Iran’s commitment to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), specifically addressing the recent advancements to Iran’s nuclear programme compared to that seen during the last statement in November 2021.
Since November, Iran has “nearly doubled its stockpile of Highly Enriched Uranium”; uranium enriched to 20% and 60% fissile purity which is a significant step toward the 90% purity required to make a nuclear bomb, “further reducing the time Iran would take to break out towards a first nuclear weapon”. The report also highlighted that Iran has “begun to operate a cascade of advanced IR-6 centrifuges” at Fordow facility which has “permanently improved its enrichment capabilities”.
The E3 urged “Iran to avoid undertaking any new escalations” and called for them “to immediately cease all activity related to conversion of Highly Enriched Uranium”.
A growing number of senior Israeli officials are raising concerns publicly, from across the political divide. Israel’s Defence Minister Benny Gantz called for the world to “act against Iranian aggression,” vowing that Israel would continue to act regardless of any deal reached by world powers with Iran.
Talks between Iran and world powers to revive the nuclear agreement are still underway in Vienna since resuming in November 2021. Many, including Iran’s Foreign Minister, stated last week that the negotiations have reached a “critical and important stage”.
