Damning agency report could bring US-Iran nuclear talks to an end

With the US-Iran nuclear talks underway, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report has surfaced which said Tehran is stockpiling uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, The New Arab and agencies reported on June 2nd.

After weeks of deadlock, the report could mark the end of the nuclear deal. Egypt hosted a tense round of diplomacy on June 2nd as officials representing Iran, the United Nations, and Egypt convened over yet another escalation in Tehran’s nuclear programme.

This time, the meeting was triggered by a report from the UN nuclear watchdog agency which expressed concerns over the rate of Iran’s uranium enrichment.

The US-Iran nuclear talks have been stalled at a fifth round, as the two try to navigate an enrichment stalemate. So far, the US has been steadfast on its zero-enrichment policy, while Iran has insisted that it has the right to enrichment for civilian purposes under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

As tensions rise and mutual mistrust festers, the IAEA’s report might set back weeks of fragile gains. As of May 17th, the report announced Iran had accumulated 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60%, Al Jazeera reported on May 31st. This is an increase of almost 50% since the IAEA’s last report in February.

IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi, said Iran was “the only non-nuclear-weapon state to produce such material.” Given the pace of Iran’s progress, the 60% enriched material is not at weapons-grade levels of 90%.

Predictably, Iran has pushed back. Leadership within the Islamic Republic said the report was politically motivated by Grossi’s hopes to become the UN secretary-general.

Grossi is trying to draw in the votes of a number of members of the U.N. Security Council through the report, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, Mohammad Eslami, said.

Grossi, however, speaking from Cairo, framed the move as a call for clarity and an “incentive for a diplomatic solution.”

Meanwhile, Washington submitted to Tehran what it described as an “acceptable” proposal, Al Jazeera reported on June 2nd. Iran is reviewing the terms, however, unverified reports claim that Iran sees the offer as a “non-starter” and is getting ready to dismiss it.

In exchange for Iran’s agreement to halt enrichment, US President Donald Trump has agreed to remove the US-imposed sanctions that have crushed Iran’s economy. However, according to a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the details of the removal remain unclear, including “how and through what mechanism” sanctions will be removed.

Esmail Baghaei, Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, confirmed that a productive agreement could not be reached until Washington provided more clarity on the subject.

The New Arab and agencies, Al Jazeera