Exclusive | U.S. State Department: The Islamic Republic is not on the right path with its nuclear program

A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told the Persian section of Voice of America that the Islamic Republic of Iran is not on the right path with its nuclear program. The spokesperson rejected the assessment of the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which stated that Iran's decision to halt the increase of its uranium stockpile enriched to 60% is a step in the right direction. In response to another question from the Persian section of Voice of America regarding the possibility of U.S. support for a resolution proposed by three European countries to reprimand the Iranian government for its non-compliance with its commitments to the IAEA, the spokesperson said, 'We support the resolution from the three European countries and still believe that the unity of the four countries is essential to hold Iran accountable.' Previously, Reuters reported that the Islamic Republic proposed not to increase its enriched uranium stockpile to 60%, provided that Western powers also refrain from passing a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors. The IAEA has stated in one of its two confidential reports that Iran has begun preliminary steps to implement this proposal. However, Western diplomats described this proposal as a 'last-minute effort' to avoid condemnation and emphasized that 60% enrichment has no civilian justification and that Iran could easily resume this process. According to this report, a resolution presented by Britain, France, Germany, and the U.S. condemns Iran for insufficient cooperation with the IAEA and requests a comprehensive report from the agency regarding Iran's nuclear activities. Reuters added that this resolution is likely to be adopted, as only Russia and China traditionally oppose such resolutions. Reuters emphasized that the goal of this resolution is to increase pressure on the Islamic Republic to return to negotiations and accept new restrictions on its nuclear program. This resolution has been proposed on the eve of the official end of the 2015 agreement and in the shadow of the Trump administration's hardline policies against the Islamic Republic. Previously, the U.S. State Department spokesperson had also stated that Washington fully coordinated with its European partners in supporting efforts to hold Iran accountable for its lack of cooperation with the IAEA.