Iran's uranium production has seen a significant increase of 60 percent, as per a report from an intergovernmental organization dedicated to promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The surge was recorded between January and June 2023, according to the report released in December.

The U.S. Department of State (DOS) news release views this upsurge in uranium production as "a backwards step by Iran," where the country can now produce 60 percent more uranium monthly than its previous capacity. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), supported by the governments of the U.S., France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, regards this development with concern due to regional tension near Iran.

"We condemn this action, which adds to the unabated escalation of Iran’s nuclear program," stated the IAEA. "The production of high-enriched uranium by Iran has no credible civilian justification and the reported production at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant further carries significant proliferation-related risks. We also take note of Iran’s decision to revert to the same cascade configuration as the one discovered by the IAEA in Fordow earlier this year. Iran’s delay in declaring this change in January 2023 cast serious doubts on Iran’s willingness to cooperate with the IAEA in full transparency."

The DOS news release indicates that IAEA hopes for Iran's commitment to mitigating its nuclear program and fully cooperating with them to ensure "that its nuclear program is exclusively peaceful." This would involve allowing inspectors access to sites suspected of producing uranium. However, IAEA inspectors were barred from these proposed sites starting September 2023.

According to the news release, despite these challenges, IAEA remains resolute in seeking a peaceful resolution and insists that Iran should never be allowed to manufacture a nuclear weapon.