Iran's Reaction to IAEA Report; A Tool for 'Distraction' from Gaza

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran claimed that the reactions regarding Iran's nuclear program over the past day are a 'media uproar' to 'divert public opinion' from Gaza. Mohammad Eslami stated that the media reports about Iran's nuclear activities are not new. He mentioned that these issues were also raised in the Director General's report to the Board of Governors and that there is 'nothing new and it is mostly media hype.' The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Tuesday, December 26, that Iran has once again increased the speed and amount of uranium production enriched to 60 percent, which is close to weapons-grade. A spokesperson for the White House National Security Council expressed serious concern on the same day regarding the IAEA's report about the increased production of high-enriched uranium in Iran. Earlier, on Monday, December 18, Western powers involved in the nuclear agreement with Iran accused the Iranian government during a six-month Security Council meeting of 'developing and testing ballistic missiles,' 'transferring hundreds of drones to Russia,' and 'enriching uranium to an unprecedented level of 60 percent.' The IAEA has been warning about Iran's nuclear program for years, and the United States and the European Union have sanctioned the Iranian government and its officials for advancing a suspicious nuclear program and uranium enrichment that has military applications. Tehran claims that it pursues its nuclear program solely for peaceful purposes, a claim that the IAEA and several countries around the world remain suspicious of.