International Atomic Energy Agency

Iran plans to install two new cascades of advanced centrifuges that will allow Tehran to rapidly enrich more uranium, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said Thursday, the latest escalation in the standoff over the country's atomic program.

"The situation at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine is not sustainable, which could prove dangerous," warned Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Russians took over the same power plant in early March, and Grossi now warns that his organization is unsuccessfully trying to access the largest nuclear plant in Europe.

In Kyiv, they say that the Ukrainian army is moving to the NATO standard.
Russia's permanent mission to the United Nations announced yesterday that Ukraine has refused to sign the agreement on the safety of nuclear power plants, which was initiated by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Five months after they were suspended, international talks on Iran's nuclear programme will restart on Monday in Vienna with analysts foreseeing major obstacles to any speedy resumption of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran has begun the process of producing enriched uranium metal, the U.N. atomic watchdog said on July 6, a move that could help it develop a nuclear weapon and that three European powers said threatened talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

Iran's parliament speaker said on May 23 that international inspectors may no longer access surveillance images of the Islamic Republic's nuclear sites, escalating tensions amid diplomatic efforts in Vienna to save Tehran's atomic accord with world powers.

Iran on April 11 described a blackout at its underground Natanz atomic facility an act of "nuclear terrorism," raising regional tensions as world powers and Tehran continue to negotiate over its tattered nuclear deal.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief announced on Feb. 21 a "temporary solution" to allow Iranian facility inspections to continue after days of talks with officials, giving some much needed breathing space for diplomatic negotiations.

European powers on Jan. 16 voiced deep concern over Iran's plans to produce uranium metal, warning that Tehran has "no credible civilian use" for the element.

"The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications," said the foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany in a joint statement.

Iran plans to enrich uranium up to 20% at its underground Fordo nuclear facility, international inspectors said on Jan. 2, pushing its program a technical step away from weapons-grade levels as it increases pressure on the West over its tattered atomic deal.