Europe urges Iran to stop producing uranium metal

Major European powers on Friday criticized Iran for producing uranium metal in violation of the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In a joint statement, the UK, Germany and France recalled that Iran had committed not to engage in producing uranium metal and conducting research on uranium metallurgy for 15 years.

"Iran has no credible civilian justification for these activities, which are a key step in the development of a nuclear weapon," they said.

"We strongly urge Iran to halt these activities without delay and not to take any new non-compliant steps on its nuclear programme. In escalating its non-compliance, Iran is undermining the opportunity for renewed diplomacy to fully realise the objectives of the JCPOA."

The UN nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency has recently confirmed that Iran was producing uranium metal to design an improved type of fuel for a research reactor.

The three European powers have repeatedly urged Tehran to return to full compliance with the JCPAO, despite former US President Donald Trump's decision in 2018 to withdraw from the agreement.

Iran started to cut its commitments to the nuclear deal in retaliation for the unilateral US withdrawal from the agreement, and stepped up its activities in recent weeks to increase pressure on the new US President Joe Biden.

Biden and his aides have signaled that the US is willing to rejoin the accord, but they also insisted that first Tehran should fully comply with the agreement.

Besides the US and the three major European countries, China and Russia are the other signatories of the nuclear accord, which foresees lifting economic sanctions on Iran in return for Tehran agreeing to limit its nuclear activity to civilian purposes.