US calls on Iran to dilute all near-weapons-grade Uranium

• The US denounces Iran’s recent nuclear moves and urges Iran to dilute all uranium enriched to up to 60% purity.
• The US calls for Iran to stop all production of uranium enriched to 60% entirely.
• Western powers argue there is no credible civil justification for enriching to such high levels.

On Wednesday, the United States issued a statement denouncing many of Tehran’s recent nuclear moves and called on Iran to dilute all of the uranium it has enriched to up to 60 percent purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90 percent.

In a confidential report to member states last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent had slightly decreased in the past quarter as it had diluted, or “down blended,” more of its most highly enriched material than it had produced.

According to the report seen by Reuters, Iran still possesses enough of that material to fuel two nuclear weapons by a theoretical IAEA definition if enriched further, and enough for more bombs at lower enrichment levels.

“Iran should downblend all, not just some, of its 60 percent stockpile, and stop all production of uranium enriched to 60 percent entirely,” the United States said in a statement on Iran to a quarterly meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors.

It is not clear why Iran down-blended the material. Despite denying seeking nuclear weapons and asserting its right to enrich to high levels for civil purposes, Western powers argue that there is no credible civil justification for enriching to such high levels.

“We continue to have serious concerns related to the stockpile of highly enriched uranium that Iran continues to maintain,” the US statement said.

“No other country today is producing uranium enriched to 60 percent for the purpose Iran claims and Iran’s actions are counter to the behavior of all other non-nuclear weapons states party to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty),” it added.

The United States also condemned various moves by Iran, many of which the IAEA has also criticized, including barring some of the IAEA’s most experienced and expert inspectors last year.

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