Yukiya Amano, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has announced that Iran has followed through on its promises to accelerate production of enriched uranium, though he declined to elaborate further on the production rate itself.
This comes about a month after Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that Tehran would partially suspend its “voluntary commitments” under the2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal.
Addressing his audience, Amano said he hopes that "ways can be found to reduce current tensions through dialogue. It is essential that Iran fully implements its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA".
On 8 May 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the JCPOA and reinstated wide-ranging sanctions on Tehran, including secondary sanctions targeting businesses and financial institutions of countries that have commercial relations with the Islamic Republic.
Iran, China, Germany, France, Russia, the UK, and the EU reaffirmed their commitment to the deal after the US’ exit.
