We will continue to cooperate closely with the three European allies ahead of the IAEA meeting and their measure to hold Iran accountable, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday local time in response to a question about the new report of the IAEA and attempts by E3 to issue an anti-Iranian resolution at the upcoming meeting.
Miller continued his rhetoric and said that as the US President had clearly stated, we remained committed not to let Iran ever obtain a nuclear weapon.
"Iran has continued to accumulate highly enriched uranium for which there is no civilian justification and fail to cooperate with the IAEA”, Miller said without referring to the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and its violation of obligations, and ignoring reports of American intelligence agencies that Tehran has no intention of building nuclear weapons.
I am not going to explain before the meeting what steps we are going to take in the next few days in consultation with our partners, he said in response to the question of whether Washington supports the anti-Iran resolution.
On Tuesday, the Director General of the IAEA reported to the Board of Governors that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has increased over the past three months to 182.3 kilograms of 60 percent purity, up 17.6 kilograms from the previous report in August.
Rafael Grossi also said his positive discussion with Iranian government officials during his visit to Tehran last week over the possibility of stopping the increase in uranium stockpiles with 60 percent enrichment and the necessary verification to confirm it.
"has begun implementing measures aimed at stopping the increase in uranium stockpiles with 60 percent enrichment at its nuclear sites in Fordow and Natanz," Associated Press said citing a report from IAEA inspectors.
The report was released on the eve of the IAEA’s quarterly meeting in Vienna, where the three European countries of Britain, France and Germany are trying to pressure the board members to adopt a new resolution on Iran.
During Grossi’s visit, Iran warned about the consequences of issuing a resolution, stating that if the opposing parties take the path of engagement, Iran will welcome it but if they choose the path of confrontation, resolution and disruption, Tehran will pursue its policies accordingly.
Britain, France and Germany which are also JCPOA signatories issued a statement and reiterated their claims and accusations regarding Iran’s peaceful nuclear program in the IAEA board meeting in Vienna in June, as well.
Without mentioning which country is to blame for failing to implement the JCPOA, the last statement pointed to Iran's compensatory measures, saying it had continued to enrich uranium far beyond its commitments.
They also issued an unusual call demanding the IAEA chief continuously inform the Board of Governors on the status of Iran’s nuclear program and make the agency’s report public.
The IAEA in it’s over a dozen reports has already verified Iran’s compliance with the 2015 agreement, but non-adherence of the JCPOA by Britain, France, and Germany, along with the United States prompted Tehran to gradually scale down its commitments by invoking mechanisms enshrined in the clauses of the accord.
Grossi himself reiterated recently that international inspectors have not found any evidence that could suggest that Iran is seeking to build nuclear weapons.
Iran has, time and again, said that its nuclear-related measures are reversible if the other parties, including the US abide by the JCPOA.
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