Iran slams IAEA for ‘leaking information’ on its uranium stockpile

Iran does not consider the International Atomic Energy Agency’s information about Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile that appeared in the media, to be constructive, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nasser Kanaani said at the press conference in Tehran on November 20, Trend reports.

Iran has criticized the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for ‘leaking information’ about its 60 percent enriched uranium stockpile, as Kanaani said at a recent press conference.

Media reports cited the IAEA as saying that Iran’s 60 percent enriched uranium reserves had increased from 6.7 kg to 128 kg.

Kanaani said that such allegations against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program were made based on ulterior motives.

He stressed that Iran’s peaceful nuclear activities were based on cooperation with the IAEA and within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. He added that this cooperation was continuing.

Iran’s nuclear program was the subject of the JCPOA, a deal signed by Iran and the P5+
1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) on January 16, 2016. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the JCPOA and imposed new sanctions on Iran as of November 2018.

Iran claims that its nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes, but the IAEA has reported that Iran has increased its highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months and now has 4,745 kilograms of enriched uranium. This is 15 times more than the amount allowed for Iran in the JCPOA.

Iran has been trying to resume talks with the other parties on its nuclear issue and revive the JCPOA. The main goals of Iran are to end the sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, access funds frozen abroad, and resume its crude oil exports.

Source: Trend News Agency