PARIS, November 29. /TASS/. Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its intention to install approximately 6,000 new centrifuges for uranium enrichment at the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities, the AFP news agency reported citing the IAEA.

According to the IAEA report, Tehran informed the organization that it plans to enrich uranium to 5% using these centrifuges. Meanwhile, the highest level of uranium enrichment allowed under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by Iran and a group of international mediators in 2015, is capped at 3.67%, the agency notes.

On November 21, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a Western-backed resolution criticizing Iran for allegedly insufficient cooperation. The document states that the IAEA must prepare a detailed report on Iran's nuclear program by the spring of 2025.

In response, Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, stated that Iran had deployed several thousand advanced gas centrifuges for uranium enrichment.

Iran nuclear deal

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action was signed by Iran, the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (Russia, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, and France) and Germany in 2015 to resolve the crisis surrounding the country’s nuclear program. The United States withdrew from the agreement in 2018 under President Donald Trump and re-imposed all sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the deal. Russia, China, the US, the UK, Germany, and France resumed talks with Iran in April 2021, aiming to restore the JCPOA, but the negotiations ended without reaching a resolution in 2022.

In response to Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA, the Iranian parliament passed a law outlining a strategic plan to remove sanctions and protect the Iranian people’s interests. As part of this plan, Iran scaled back several obligations under the nuclear deal, particularly by suspending inspections by the IAEA beyond the safeguard agreement related to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and prohibiting the use of stringent monitoring measures. According to Iranian officials, the West must return to full compliance with the JCPOA to restore monitoring mechanisms for Iran’s nuclear program.