Iran increasing uranium enrichment purity and quantities, says UN watchdog

FILE – In this file photo released Jan. 16, 2021, by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, a missile is launched in a drill in Iran. The Biden administration’s early efforts to resurrect the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are getting a chilly early response from Tehran. Though few expected a breakthrough in the first month of the new administration, Iran’s tough line suggests a difficult road ahead.(Iranian Revolutionary Guard/Sepahnews via AP, File)

The UN’s atomic watchdog says its inspectors have confirmed that Iran has started enriching uranium up to 20% purity, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels.

It is the latest in a string of violations of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.