Iran News: Tehran’s Stockpile Of Enriched Uranium Is Five Times Over The Limit, Atomic Watchdog Says

Iran has an enriched uranium stockpile five times over the 300-kilogram limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said in a report on Tuesday. Tehran had a stockpile of 1,510 kilograms as of Feb. 19, the United Nations watchdog said.

Iran has enough atomic material stockpiled to produce a nuclear weapon, analysts say, but Tehran has said that its nuclear program is intended for peaceful purposes only. The U.S. has vowed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

A second report from the IAEA criticized Iran for not providing the agency with information about two locations where nuclear material could be stockpiled.

"The fact that we found traces (of uranium) is very important. That means there is the possibility of nuclear activities and material that are not under international supervision and about which we know not the origin or the intent. That worries me," IAEA head Rafael Grossi told AFP about the two sites.

The Trump administration announced in May 2018 that the U.S. would pull out of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the European Union were also signatories to the deal, in addition to Iran.

The deal stipulates that Iran would eliminate some of its nuclear stockpile in exchange for reduced sanctions on its economy. Iran would also have to submit to periodic inspections of its nuclear facilities.

Months after Trump pulled out of the deal, the U.S. announced renewed sanctions on the Iranian economy. European nations, such as France, have made diplomatic efforts to try and convince Trump to renegotiate the agreement with Tehran.

Iran may be stockpiling nuclear material for defensive purposes. Tensions have been high between the U.S. and Iran since the beginning of the year, when Iranian Commander Qassem Soleimani was killed at Baghdad International Airport by a U.S. airstrike. In response, Iran shot missiles at U.S. military bases in Iraq.