US tells Iran to dilute all of its highly enriched nuclear material

The United States is calling on Iran to dilute all of the uranium it has enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90%, in a statement denouncing many of Tehran’s recent nuclear moves.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report to member states last week that Iran’s stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% had fallen slightly in the past quarter as it had diluted, or “downblended,” more of its most highly enriched material than it had produced.

Iran still has enough of that material, if enriched further, to fuel two nuclear weapons by a theoretical IAEA definition, and enough for more bombs at lower enrichment levels, the report seen by Reuters showed.

“Iran should downblend all, not just some, of its 60% stockpile, and stop all production of uranium enriched to 60% entirely,” the United States says in a statement on Iran to a quarterly meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors.

“We continue to have serious concerns related to the stockpile of highly enriched uranium that Iran continues to maintain,” the US statement said.

“No other country today is producing uranium enriched to 60% for the purpose Iran claims and Iran’s actions are counter to the behavior of all other non-nuclear weapons states party to the[Non-Proliferation Treaty],” it adds.