Iran prepares to stop building up stockpiles of 60% enriched uranium

Iran has begun preparations to stop building up its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%. Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said this in his opening remarks to the organizations' Board of Governors on November 20.

"Iran has started to implement preparatory measures to stop the build-up of uranium enriched to 60%," he said at a press conference, the video of which is published on the IAEA website.

In addition, Grossi noted that the IAEA and Iran will continue discussions on the issue.

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Earlier, on November 17, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that European countries and Iran plan to resume talks on returning to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program. According to him, the talks could begin "as soon as possible."

Prior to that, Grossi toured two Iranian nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordow on Nov. 16. Grossi visited the Natanz nuclear power plant and the uranium enrichment facility at Fordo, which is dug into a mountain 100 kilometers south of Tehran.

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian, in a meeting with the IAEA director general on Nov. 14, said there were no plans to build nuclear weapons. According to him, Iran has never aspired to possess nuclear capabilities.