Official cites IAEA finding that Iran produced 275 kilos of 60% enriched uranium; diplomacy preferred, snapback sanctions possible

A staff member said in a briefing that the International Atomic Energy Agency reported Iran has produced 275 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, a quantity the official described as far beyond what is required for civilian use.

"The DG reported last month that Iran has now produced 275 kilos of uranium enriched to 60%," the staff member said, citing the IAEA. The official added that no other non-nuclear-weapon state has a comparable stockpile.

The staff member said diplomats prefer negotiations and encouraged Iran to engage seriously, calling the U.S. offer to negotiate "a good thing." At the same time, the official said there is no timeline for reimposing measures and that the option remains to use "snapback" to restore U.N. sanctions if diplomacy fails. "We would like diplomacy to work so we're gonna give it our best shots. But if we need to, we will use snap back of sanctions, as as necessary," the staff member said.

The official said the meeting would hear from Iran and that no further briefing was planned immediately. The remarks combined expressions of concern about Iran's enrichment levels with an explicit preference for a diplomatic path and a reserve of unilateral or multilateral sanction-restoration tools.

The briefing included no formal decisions or votes; the staff member characterized the remarks as a statement of posture and intent rather than a binding action. The official declined to provide a timeline for activating snapback, and did not specify what, if any, additional measures would be taken in the near term.

The discussion underscores international attention to Iran's nuclear program and the tension between diplomatic engagement and resorting to mechanisms aimed at restoring sanctions.