Iran to evade censure by IAEA over uranium enrichment

Iran will evade fresh censure by the after International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after making “concrete” commitments to be transparent following the discovery of particles enriched to near weapons-grade, diplomats told AFP on Monday.

The development comes after Rafael Grossi, head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, received assurances from Iran that surveillance cameras at several nuclear sites would be reconnected and the pace of inspections increased.

Grossi returned from a two-day visit to Tehran on Saturday, which took place following an IAEA report which said that inspectors in Iran had found uranium particles enriched 83.7%, nearly bomb grade, at the Fordow plant.

Three Western diplomats told AFP on the first day of the Board of Governors meeting of the Vienna-based IAEA that no new resolution criticizing Iran over its nuclear program was planned.

“But it remains to be seen whether anything agreed in Tehran results in real progress,” a Western diplomat cautioned.

Iran was censured by the IAEA in November over its lack of cooperation with the agency.

The discovery of the uranium at near bomb level came talks between Iran and world powers on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal remain stalled and have been since September.

Despite the discovery of the uranium, CIA Director William Burns told CBS last weekend that the US believes Iran hasn’t yet decided to resume its nuclear weapons program.

“To the best of our knowledge, we don’t believe that the Supreme Leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judged that they suspended, or stopped, at the end of 2003,” said Burns.

Later, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told lawmakers that Iran could make enough fissile for one nuclear bomb in “about 12 days,”, down from the estimated one year it would have taken while the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was in effect.