Even as western powers denounced a “dangerous nuclear escalation,” a top Iranian diplomat maintained on Wednesday that the Islamic Republic was ready to work with other nations on its atomic program.
After finding uranium particles that were nearly enriched to weapons-grade level, Rafael Grossi, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), traveled to Iran over the weekend to receive Iranian assurances on its intentions.
“There are many things to do in the coming weeks and months toward addressing issues of common interest, for that Iran is very much willing to work with Rafael Grossi,” Mohsen Naziri Asl, Iran’s representative to the IAEA, told AFP.
“We should avoid confrontation and rather work very responsibly together,” he added.
In addition to Grossi’s announcement that the security cameras at several nuclear sites would be reconnected, he refused to provide further information.
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom this week spoke of Iran’s “unabated and dangerous nuclear escalation” in a statement to the IAEA board of governors gathering.
“This unprecedented enrichment at up to 83.7 percent U-235 is an extremely grave escalation,” they said.
The US also referred to the particle finding as “an alarming development” because the particle concentration of 83.7 percent was just below the 90 percent threshold required to create an atomic bomb.
“Iran must ensure that such an incident never occurs again,” said Laura Holgate, the US Ambassador to the IAEA.
“Unfortunately, too many times in the past, Iran has issued similarly vague promises for cooperation in order to avoid international censure, only to never follow through.”
Iran claims it has never attempted to enrich uranium beyond a purity of 60% and rejects having any desire to obtain nuclear weapons.
On-and-off negotiations to resurrect a historic agreement from 2015 have stagnated since last year.
Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and the subsequent reimposition of sanctions caused the deal to fall apart, and Iran began to advance its nuclear program once more in 2019.
