Rising risk of nuclear proliferation in Mena due to Iran, EU warns

Head of EU delegation calls Iran's accumulation of highly enriched uranium alarming

Technicians work at Iran's Arak heavy water reactor's secondary circuit in 2019. Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran / AP

The EU warned on Monday that Iran's direction is increasing the risk of a nuclear proliferation crisis in the Middle East.

“Iran's accumulation of high-enriched uranium, its continuously growing enriched uranium stockpile and the expansion of its nuclear enrichment infrastructure are alarming,” the head of the EU's delegation to the UN, Stavros Lambrinidis, told the Security Council.

“Such actions carry very significant proliferation-related risks and raise grave concerns about Iran's intentions.”

Tehran's announcement of its intention to further increase its installed enrichment capacity, as reported by the International Atomic Energy Agency on June 13, has further increased the EU’s concerns.

“If implemented, these actions would constitute a significant escalation by Iran with regard to its nuclear programme and capabilities, and a further departure from Iran's commitments under the JCPOA and UNSC Resolution 2231,” said Mr Lambrinidis.

He was referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal signed between world powers and Iran in 2015, from which former president Donald Trump withdrew the US in 2018.

Rosemary Di Carlo, UN undersecretary general for political affairs, called it “very concerning” that Iran has a uranium stockpile 30 times higher than allowed under the JCPOA deal.

In April, the International Atomic Energy Agency warned that Iran could be months or weeks away from being able to build a nuclear weapon.

Mr Lambrinidis called on Iran not to proceed with its plans, as that would “undoubtedly put at risk any future nuclear diplomacy”.

Iran criticised the “biased” EU statement, saying it is up to the US to pursue dialogue and co-operation, given its withdrawal from the agreement and imposition of unilateral sanctions.

Calling Iran responsible for the current status of the JCPOA is “simply untrue”, said the country's UN ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani.

“The JCPOA was not perfect, but it remains the most viable option,” Mr Iravani said.

He said Iran’s nuclear activities, including enrichment at various levels, are for “peaceful purposes”.

“They are conducted in full accordance with Iran’s rights and obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and its Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.”

Mr Iravani claimed that Iran's space and missiles programme lies outside the scope of the JCPOA, citing regional “destabilising” activity undertaken by Israel with the complicity of the US and its allies.

Under the deal, Iran minimised nuclear research and accepted UN inspections of its atomic complexes in exchange for the lifting of tight economic sanctions.

Efforts to revive the deal under President Joe Biden failed after they reached an impasse in September 2022, when Iran reportedly insisted that the IAEA close its investigation into traces of enriched uranium it had discovered at three undeclared sites in 2019.

The US and European parties to the JCPOA objected to this demand.