1 of 2 | Mohammad Mokhber, acting president, speaks during the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian parliament in Tehran, Iran, on Monday. Photo by Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its inspectors verified on Monday that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium increased 17% from three months ago, moving the country closer to having the material needed to make its nuclear bomb.
It was the first uranium review by the agency since the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and the foreign minister died in a helicopter crash this month, pushing the country to unexpected but highly-anticipated new presidential elections. Advertisement
“Further public statements made in Iran during this reporting period regarding its technical capabilities to produce nuclear weapons and possibly changes to Iran’s nuclear doctrine only increased concerns about the correctness and completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in his report, according to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, Iran sat a new parliament with 290 legislators taking an oath, according to state-run PressTV. Officials said the remaining handful of seats will be determined in a runoff.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei told the body it was important for them to strengthen Iran’s “religious democracy” and that they must serve the entire country’s interest and not just the area they were elected from. Advertisement
Vice President Mohammad Mokhber is theinterim head of the country’s executive branch.
