Iran has enriched 120 kg of uranium to 20%: Mohammad Eslami

The head of Iran's atomic energy agency has announced that it has amassed more than 120kg of uranium enriched to 20%, levels that far exceed the 3.97% agreed upon under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that was forged with world powers in 2015.

Mohammed Eslami, the head of Iran's atomic energy mission, said that the US and other world powers had agreed to supply fuel to the Tehran nuclear reactor but had failed to do so, which was why Iran was taking it up. The country has been producing 20% enriched uranium since 2012 in order to power the Tehran reactor.

Under the 2015 agreement China, France, Germany, the UK and the US had agreed to lift some sanctions against Iran if Tehran cut back its nuclear programme. However since Donald Trump pulled the US out of the deal in 2018, Iran has slowly been eroding its own commitments made under the deal which has lead to fresh international sanctions.

The levels of enrichment are meant to be monitored to prevent the emergence of 90% enrichment which signifies the threshold for nuclear weapons development. The International Atomic Energy Association had earlier reported that Iran had begun to refuse its oversight and was withdrawing from agreements on data transparency.