Iran has tripled uranium production, says UN

Iran has tripled its journal production of higher-grade enriched uranium and the UN nuclear watchdog has “serious concerns” about likely military dimensions to Tehran’s atomic activities, according to the agency’s director general.Yukiya Amano, director common of the International Atomic Energy Agency, also told the IAEA’s 35-nation board of governors concerning the lack of progress in two rounds of talks among the Vienna-based UN agency and Tehran this year.

Iran denies accusations that it is covertly seeking nuclear weapons capability, in part by co-ordinating efforts to procedure uranium, test high explosives and revamp a ballistic missile cone to accommodate a nuclear warhead. But its refusal to curb sensitive atomic work that can have both civilian and military applications has strained increasingly tough UN and western sanctions against the major oil producer. During the meetings in the Iranian capital in January and February, Iranian officials stonewalled the IAEA’s requests intended for access to a military site seen as central to its investigation into the nature of the Islamic state’s nuclear activity.

“The agency continues to have serious concerns regarding likely military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme,” Mr Amano told the closed-door meeting, according to a copy of his speech. The agency “is unable to provide credible assurance regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is in peaceful activities”, he added.A report by the IAEA to member states last month said Iran was considerably stepping up uranium enrichment, a finding that sent oil prices elevated on fears that tensions between Tehran and the west could boil over into military conflict.