Enriched uranium

Iran has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to nearly weapons-grade levels, according to a report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Last year saw escalation of the Russia-Ukraine war.  However, it is expected that the biggest crisis the world will face this year will arise in the Middle East. 

Armed militias in eastern Libya said they had found about two and a half tonnes of uranium ore that had been declared missing by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the BBC reported on Friday.

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 increased its uranium enrichment on July 7 beyond the limit allowed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, inching its program closer toward weapons-grade levels while calling for a diplomatic solution to a crisis heightening tensions with the U.S.

The diplomatic chiefs of the EU, France, Germany and Britain said on July 2 they were "extremely concerned" and urged Iran to reverse its decision to breach a limit on enriched uranium reserves under a 2015 nuclear deal.    

Iran will no longer respect limits it agreed on its enriched uranium and heavy water stocks under a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, officials said on Wednesday,  FocusNews reported.

Iran's president said on May 8 that it will begin keeping its excess uranium and heavy water from its nuclear program, setting a 60-day deadline for new terms to its nuclear deal with world powers before it will resume higher uranium enrichment.

Iran said on March 5 that it could produce higher enriched uranium within two days if the United States quit a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and six major powers, Tehran’s Arabic language al-Alam TV reported.

Vladimir Putin has criticized the US for failing to keep their end of the bargain in a host of international disarmament agreements. He says Moscow will not exit any existing treaties, but promised an "instant, symmetrical response" if Washington decides to quit first.