Grossi: Iran is Increasing Uranium Enrichment to 60 Percent by at Least Eight Times

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that Iran's capacity for enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, which is close to the 90 percent level needed for weapons, is significantly increasing. Rafael Grossi, who traveled to Bahrain, told Reuters on Friday, December 7, that Iran's enrichment is expected to reach 'seven or eight times or even more' compared to the previous amount of 60 percent enriched uranium, which was five to seven kilograms per month. This is contrary to his optimism during his late November visit to Tehran, where he was promised 'clarification' by the Iranian President. On November 21, before the IAEA Board of Governors resolution was passed, the Director General expressed hope that Iran's actions to limit its uranium stockpiles, which have nearly reached weapon-grade levels, would remain sustainable. The IAEA also reported in its confidential report on Friday to member states that Iran will primarily increase its enrichment at the Fordow site. In this report, which Reuters has seen, it was stated that Iran has begun feeding two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges with uranium hexafluoride gas enriched to 20 percent; a level that was previously only five percent. According to this report, Iran's monthly production rate of 60 percent enriched uranium at the Fordow site alone will exceed 34 kilograms, whereas previously, Iran's production level at its two nuclear sites, including Fordow, was only six kilograms per month. The IAEA Board of Governors condemned the expansion of Iran's nuclear activities on December 1 and issued a resolution calling for Iran's immediate cooperation with the agency, requesting the Director General to prepare a 'comprehensive report' on Iran. In response to this reprimanding resolution, Iran announced it would activate advanced centrifuges. On December 8, the IAEA also reported on Iran's nuclear program, stating that Tehran announced on December 1, one day after the Board's punitive resolution was passed, its plans to install 18 new cascades, each containing 166 IR-4 centrifuges at the Natanz enrichment facility. According to this report, Iran simultaneously informed the IAEA of its plan to install a large cascade containing 1,152 IR-6 centrifuges in Natanz, aiming to enrich uranium to five percent purity. This comes as the first round of new negotiations between Iran and European powers took place last week, one week after the IAEA Board's new punitive resolution was passed in Geneva. Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy for Legal and International Affairs at the Iranian Foreign Ministry, who participated in the talks alongside Majid Takht-Ravanchi, the political deputy of Iran's diplomatic body, emphasized on social media that 'pursuing dialogue and interaction is preferred' and announced an agreement to continue negotiations in the near future. Concurrently with the Geneva meeting, the head of France's foreign intelligence agency spoke at a joint meeting with his British counterpart at the British embassy in Geneva, discussing the cooperation of the two countries' security agencies to counter 'the potential for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons in the coming months' as 'one of the most sensitive ongoing threats.' Nicolas Lerner stated that 'the security cooperation of the two countries is vital to assist political leaders in making the right decisions regarding Iran and adopting precise strategies.' These remarks came as Iran's Foreign Minister warned on Thursday that if Western countries continue their threats to reinstate all UN sanctions against Iran, it is likely that Tehran will also change its approach towards nuclear weapon production.