U.S. accuses Iran of ongoing violations of nuclear obligations

PanARMENIAN.Net - The International Atomic Energy Agency officially confirmed that Iran has started enriching uranium to the 20-percent level, which can easily be turned into fissile warhead material, RIA Novosti reports.

"The IAEA can confirm that Iran has started the production of uranium enriched up to 20 percent using IR-1 centrifuges in the Fordo Fuel Enrichment Plant," the agency said in a statement.

However, IAEA Spokeswoman Gill Tudor said that all nuclear materials and operations in the Fordo facility are “under the Agency's containment and surveillance."

The IAEA statement has already triggered harsh statements from diplomats in the United States and Europe.

"This is a further escalation of their ongoing violations with regard to their nuclear obligations," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters. "The fact that the IAEA has made clear that they are enriching to a level that is inappropriate at Fordo is obviously a problem," she said.

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague described the move as "a provocative act that undermines claims that the program is civilian in nature."

The German Foreign Ministry expressed hope that the European Union will agree on a fresh round of sanctions against Iran during a meeting on January 30, because the start of operations at Fordo was “a step of further escalation.”