TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Iran's nuclear chief dismissed claims that the country had increased its production of highly enriched uranium as "media hype," the Iranian Students' News Agency reported Wednesday.
Mohammad Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, made the comments on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting, responding to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) summarizing a confidential report leaked to Reuters.
He asserted that "Iran's uranium enrichment activities remained unchanged and compliant with international regulations."
"We have been enriching uranium to 60 percent for some time now. We haven't changed anything nor created new capacity," Eslami was quoted as saying.
"This is simply media hype," he said, claiming the report is "orchestrated by the White House and Israel" to distract attention from their actions in Gaza and deflect public pressure.
The IAEA report claimed that Iran had reversed a recent slowdown in its enrichment of uranium to "near weapons-grade levels," adding that Iran continues to enrich uranium to 60 percent at its Natanz and Fordow facilities.
Iran signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, agreeing to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The United States withdrawal from the deal in 2018 and the subsequent reimposition of sanctions prompted Iran to scale back its JCPOA commitments.
Talks to revive the JCPOA began in Vienna in 2021 but have stalled since August 2022, with no significant progress reported.
