UN says Iran advances nuclear enrichment amid Vienna talks
Iran's latest violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement comes three days into a resumption of long-stalled negotiations in Vienna aimed at reviving the deal.
Iran has begun enriching uranium with advanced centrifuges at its Ferdow plant, the United Nation’s nuclear watchdog agency said Wednesday.
The Iranian government started enriching uranium up to 20% purity using advanced IR-6 centrifuges, in violation of the 2015 international nuclear agreement to which Tehran remains a party. The enrichment cluster includes 166 of the advanced machines at the subterranean Ferdow site, Reuters reported.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced the finding as indirect negotiations are underway in Vienna between Iran and the United States aimed at reviving the 2015 agreement, which placed strict limits on Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for economic sanctions relief.
The negotiations resumed on Monday after a five-month hiatus, but hopes for a restoration of the deal are dimming. The new Iranian government under President Ibrahim Raisi has taken a hard line in its demands towards the United States.
