IRAN has further increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels, according to a leaked report on Monday written by the UN nuclear watchdog.

The report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the wider Middle East over the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Israel and Iran carried out direct strikes on each other’s territory for the first time last month.

The report said that as of May 11, Iran has 313.2lbs of uranium enriched up to 60 per cent.

This is an increase of 45.4lbs since the last report by the UN watchdog in February. 

Uranium enriched at 60 per cent purity is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90 per cent.

By IAEA’s definition, about 92.5lbs of uranium enriched to 60 per cent is the amount at which creating one atomic weapon is theoretically possible — if the material is enriched further, to 90 per cent.

Also as of May 11, the report says Iran’s overall stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 13,671.5lbs, which represents an increase of 1,489.8lbs since the IAEA’s previous report.

Iran has maintained its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes only, but IAEA chief Rafael Mariano Grossi has previously warned that Tehran has enough uranium enriched to near-weapons-grade levels to make “several” nuclear bombs if it chose to do so. 

He has acknowledged the UN agency cannot guarantee that none of Iran’s centrifuges may have been peeled away for enrichment.

Monday’s report also said that Tehran has not reconsidered its September 2023 decision to bar IAEA inspectors from further monitoring its nuclear programme and added that it expects Iran “to do so in the context of the ongoing consultations between the (IAEA) agency and Iran.”

Iran has not immediately commented on the leaked report.