Nuclear inspectors in Iran find uranium enriched to 84-percent purity: reports

Nuclear inspectors in Iran have reportedly discovered uranium in the country that has been enriched to 84 percent purity — just below the level needed to develop nuclear weapons, reports found.

Bloomberg first reported that The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating how Iran managed to enrich uranium to 84 percent, which the report says is the highest level found by inspectors to date. To create a nuclear weapon, uranium must be enriched to at least 90 percent.

A senior European diplomat told The Wall Street Journal that if the reports were confirmed, it would be a "grave development."

"We are in close contact with our partners following reports that Iran may have enriched uranium to levels over 80 percent," the diplomat said to The Wall Street Journal. "If confirmed this would be an unprecedented and extremely grave development."

According to Bloomberg, a nuclear official in Iran denied the claim that the country had enriched uranium above 60 percent purity "so far," and said that the claim was  "a smear and a distortion of the fact."

It was first reported in 2021 that Iran was enriching uranium to 60 percent purity, which at the time was the highest level it had achieved.

The IAEA said in a tweet on Sunday that it was aware of the new reports of Iran's uranium enrichment levels.

"Director General @rafaelmgrossi states that the IAEA is discussing with Iran the results of recent Agency verification activities and will inform the IAEA Board of Governors as appropriate," the tweet reads.

Former President Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal negotiated during former President Obama's time in office. The deal at the time capped Iran's level of uranium enrichment at 3.67 percent, and required the country to reduce its uranium stockpile by 98 percent.

Iran has since expanded its nuclear program as lawmakers have previously said that Iran is unlikely to reestablish a nuclear deal with the Biden administration.