European powers blast Iran's uranium metal production
France, Germany and the United Kingdom condemn Iran's move as one that would undermine the nuclear agreement.
France, Germany and the United Kingdom are calling on Iran to roll back its newly announced production of uranium metal, in what the European powers warned could complicate diplomacy as the Biden administration seeks to renter the landmark nuclear deal.
The United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said this week that Iran has produced a uranium metal, a material that can be used to form nuclear weapons. A confidential IAEA report obtained by The Wall Street Journal said Iran had started producing the metal at its nuclear plant in Isfahan on Feb. 6.
The trio of European countries, which were among the signatories to the 2015 nuclear accord known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), cautioned Iran against taking any further steps on its nuclear program.
“In escalating its noncompliance, Iran is undermining the opportunity for renewed diplomacy to fully realize the objectives of the JCPOA,” the European powers, known as the E3, said in a statement. “We reiterate that Iran has no credible civilian justification for these activities, which are a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon."
