UN Agency Warns It Cannot Track Iran's Enriched Uranium

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) circulated a new report on Iran's nuclear programme to member states on Thursday. The document contains no major reassessment of the situation, even after three months of US-Israeli military operations.

In its first report since the latest attacks began, the IAEA renewed its call for Tehran to clarify the fate of its enriched uranium stockpiles, warning that it has been unable to track them since the previous bombing campaign targeting Iran's nuclear facilities.

US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have repeatedly cited the destruction of Iran's nuclear programme as a primary goal of military operations. The fate of Iran's enriched uranium stockpiles also remains one of the most contentious issues in ongoing peace talks between Washington and Tehran.

Iran has yet to provide the agency with information on its stockpiles of low- and highly enriched uranium, including material enriched to up to 60%. The IAEA notes that this level is only a small step from the roughly 90% enrichment required to produce a nuclear weapon.

The agency also warned that it has been denied access to several facilities struck by Israeli and US forces for nearly a year, a situation it said was causing a progressive loss of continuity of knowledge about nuclear material. The IAEA called on Iran to fully implement its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to resume cooperation as a matter of urgency.

(reuters, max)