Europeans Criticize Iran Over ‘Serious Violations’ Of Nuclear Deal

The foreign ministries of Germany, France and Britain on Thursday expressed “grave concern” over the latest report by the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog that said Iran continues to produce uranium metal, which can be used in the production of a nuclear bomb.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna confirmed earlier this week that Iran has produced uranium metal enriched up to 20 percent for the first time, and has significantly increased its production capacity of uranium enriched up to 60%.

The production of uranium metal is prohibited by the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which promises Iran economic incentives in exchange for limits on its nuclear program, and is meant to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Germany, France and Britain — the western European members of the JCPOA — called the moves by Iran “serious violations” of its commitment under the JCPOA. They said that “both are key steps in the development of a nuclear weapon and Iran has no credible civilian need for either measure.”

Iran insists that it is not interested in developing a bomb, and that the uranium metal is for its civilian nuclear program.

Our concerns are deepened by the fact that Iran has significantly limited IAEA access through withdrawing from JCPOA-agreed monitoring arrangements,” the joint statement added.

The United States unilaterally pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018, with then-president Donald Trump saying it needed to be renegotiated.

Since then, Tehran has been steadily increasing its violations of the deal to put pressure on the other signatories to provide more incentives to Iran to offset crippling American sanctions reimposed after the US pullout.