The UN nuclear watchdog Monday voiced concern Iran had not clarified queries over sites where undeclared nuclear activity may have occurred and reported Tehran's enriched uranium stockpile was around 16 times the limit laid down in a 2015 deal with world powers.
A report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said director general Rafael Grossi was "concerned that the technical discussions between the agency and Iran have not yielded the expected results," referring to exchanges on the sites with Iranian officials.
"The lack of progress in clarifying the Agency's questions concerning the correctness and completeness of Iran's safeguards declarations seriously affects the ability of the Agency to provide assurance of the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program," it added.
"After many months, Iran has not provided the necessary explanation for the presence of the nuclear material particles at any of the three locations where the Agency has conducted complementary accesses (inspections)."
In a separate report, the agency said Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is around 16 times the limit laid down in the 2015 deal with world powers. It estimated the Islamic Republic possessed 3,241 kilograms (7,145 pounds) of enriched uranium but cautioned it was not able to verify these figures.
The agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), placed a 300-kilogram (660-pound) cap on uranium in a particular compound form, the equivalent of 202.8 kilograms (447 pounds) of uranium.
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2015 Iran nuclear deal member states attending a meeting at the Grand Hotel of Vienna as they try to revive the pact, April 17, 2021
(Photo: AFP)
Iran started limiting inspections in a bid to put pressure on the government of U.S. President Joe Biden to lift crippling sanctions reimposed after then-President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran unilaterally in 2018.
The latest report will be presented to the IAEA's board of governors next week and comes as talks are ongoing in Vienna on the possible full revival of the 2015 deal and the return of the U.S. to the accord.