Iran has converted some of the uranium that it has enriched to near-weapons grade to a form that is harder to dilute and recover in order to remove it from the country, which is certain to be part of any new nuclear deal, Reuters first reported, citing a report issued to member countries of the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is another act of defiance by Iran against the world powers with as it continues to renegotiate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the 2015 nuclear agreement is officially called. The work was carried out earlier this month, according to the report.
Iran is now enriching uranium to 60% purity – a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, and stockpiling enriched uranium well beyond the limits specified in the 2015 deal. The original agreement permitted enrichment to 3.67%, as required for energy production.