US Representative at the Board of Governors: High-Enriched Uranium Accumulation Has No Credible Peaceful Purpose

The US representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors urged the Islamic Republic of Iran to stop producing uranium enriched to sixty percent. Laura Holgate described Iran's actions as 'contrary' to the behavior of non-nuclear states party to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. On Tuesday, September 12, during the second day of the Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, she criticized Iran's nuclear program development beyond the framework of the nuclear agreement, referencing a recent report by Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General. According to the IAEA's latest report, while Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile has decreased compared to spring of this year, it remains over eighteen times the limit set by the 2015 nuclear agreement. The US representative at the Board of Governors also emphasized that the continued installation of advanced centrifuges and the accumulation of high-enriched uranium by the Islamic Republic does not have a credible peaceful purpose. The Islamic Republic has described its nuclear program as 'peaceful' and claims full cooperation with the IAEA. Laura Holgate also expressed serious concern about Iran's disruption of the IAEA's efforts to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities and urged Iranian officials to take actions to gain international trust and reduce tensions. The US representative at the Board of Governors characterized Iran's opposition to IAEA-appointed inspectors and the refusal to issue visas for IAEA officials active in Iran as contrary to a joint statement made last March. She also described the undisclosed changes in Iran's advanced centrifuge cascades at the Fordow facility as a clear contradiction of the country's commitments under the safeguards agreement and noted the discovery of uranium particles with over eighty percent concentration at the Fordow facility as one of the existing contradictions with the joint statement from March. Laura Holgate stated that Iran's actions have exacerbated tensions and changed frameworks unprecedentedly, emphasizing the need to avoid similar occurrences in the future. Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General, had announced last March after his trip to Iran that he had reached an agreement with Iranian officials to increase cooperation and clarify Iran's nuclear program. The US representative at the Board of Governors criticized Iran's lack of transparency regarding the discrepancies in the amount of nuclear material obtained from uranium melting in early last year, calling Iran's technical explanations 'incorrect' and completely unacceptable. Laura Holgate assessed Iran's level of cooperation as 'significantly' lower than recent agreements between the IAEA and the Iranian government. The US representative urged Iran to fully cooperate in implementing the agreement made last March with the IAEA, including providing all relevant recorded information to the agency. The IAEA Board of Governors meeting, which began on Monday, September 11, with representatives from 35 member countries, will continue until Friday, September 15, and Iran's nuclear program remains a key topic of discussion. The lack of transparency from the Islamic Republic despite the reduction in sixty percent uranium production; report by Gita Arina. The Institute for 'Science and International Security' claims: the Islamic Republic has the capability to build a nuclear weapon. Grossi: The Islamic Republic must explain the uranium found in Varamin and Torqozabad. The 'Board of Governors' meeting has begun; the Islamic Republic's nuclear program remains on the agenda.