Wednesday, June 16, 2021

Iran: We have 6.5 kg of uranium enriched to up to 60%

Iran has made 6.5 kg (14 lb) of uranium enriched to up to 60%, the government said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Government spokesman Ali Rabiei was quoted by state media as saying the country had also produced 108 kg of uranium enriched to 20% purity, indicating quicker output than the rate required by the Iranian law that created the process.

Iran has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal in response to former US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in May of 2018.

It has continued to do so even as current US President Joe Biden has indicated a desire to return to the deal.

In April, the Islamic Republic announced it would begin enriching uranium to 60% purity, a move that would take the uranium much closer to the 90% suitable for a nuclear bomb.

Tuesday's disclosure came as Tehran and Washington hold indirect talks in Vienna aimed at finding ways to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

The discussions in Vienna, brokered by European diplomats, have been locked in dispute on which sanctions to lift.

Iran has insisted on a removal of all sanctions, while the Biden administration has insisted that some will remain if they were imposed over other concerns, including human rights and Iran's support for extremist movements.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken recently said that "hundreds" of US sanctions will remain on Iran even if the United States rejoins the deal.

He has also warned that if Iran continues to violate the 2015 nuclear deal, the “breakout time” it needs to amass enough fissile material for a single nuclear weapon will shrink to weeks.