Iran in standoff with European powers over nuclear deal

Iran said it would take a “proportionate” response if Western nations back a resolution against its nuclear program at a meeting of the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

IAEA chief Rafel Grossi visited Iran a week before the meeting and said the scope for negotiation was ‘getting smaller’

Western countries have moved ahead with plans to censure Iran for its program at a board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that starts on Wednesday.

Britain, France and Germany reportedly tabled a resolution to pressure Iran to return to compliance with international nuclear rules.

West worried about enriched uranium stockpile

According to the IAEA, Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60% — close to the 90% threshold required to develop a nuclear weapons.

The IAEA said Iran had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium in recent months, reaching more than 32 times the cap set in the 2015 nuclear deal that the US unilaterally withdrew from under then-President Donald Trump in 2018.

The AFP news agency reported that the Western governments’ resolution against Iran was finalized just before midnight on Tuesday.

“The text was formally submitted,” a diplomatic source told the news agency on condition of anonymity. A second diplomatic source confirmed the information to AFP.