U.S. and Iran exchange threats - Tuesday, 10 March
Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including thr...
Iran’s atomic energy chief says Tehran could dilute uranium enriched to 60 per cent if all international sanctions are lifted, stressing that technical nuclear issues are being discussed alongside political matters in ongoing negotiations.
Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, said Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency remains in place but accused the agency of failing to address what he described as a military attack on nuclear facilities under safeguards.
“Our relations with the Agency are established but the Agency has an unfinished task regarding a military attack on facilities under safeguards supervision,” Eslami said, according to ISNA. “If we are under the Agency’s supervision and accreditation, it cannot remain silent about what happened.”
Eslami said IAEA inspectors have continued visits to nuclear sites that were not damaged, with approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. He added that inspections resumed after the war and that inspectors are currently visiting additional facilities.
He stressed that Iran expects its rights to be respected under IAEA regulations, saying the agency has a duty to support and promote the peaceful use of nuclear technology for all countries, including Iran.
Asked specifically about the possibility of diluting uranium enriched to 60 per cent, Eslami said the issue depends entirely on whether all sanctions are lifted in return.
Uranium enrichment has long been a core point of tension between Iran and the U.S., with Washington arguing that enrichment to high levels has no credible civilian justification and poses proliferation risks. Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to cap enrichment at 3.67 per cent in exchange for sanctions relief but it began enriching uranium to much higher levels after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement and reimposed sanctions.
Iran is now enriching uranium to up to 60 per cent purity - a level far above what is needed for civilian energy use, though still below weapons-grade, which starts at around 90 per cent.
U.S. officials and European allies say higher enrichment levels significantly shorten the time Iran would need to produce weapons-grade material, increasing pressure on diplomatic efforts. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its programme is peaceful and subject to international monitoring.
Tehran says any rollback of its nuclear activities depends on sanctions relief and recognition of its right to enrich uranium, while Washington has demanded verifiable limits on enrichment before easing sanctions.
Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Iran and the U.S. exchanged threats on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to expect the “most intense day" of attacks so far. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of global concern as tensions rise following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran has threatened to block the strategic waterway, raising fears of disruption to global oil shipments and energy markets.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
A senior delegation from the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has been holding meetings with Georgian government officials, opposition leaders and security authorities this week, as international observers attempt to gauge the country’s political climate following last year’s contentious elections.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told Masoud Pezeshkian, his Iranian counterpart, that violations of Turkish airspace by Iran could not be justified “for any reason whatsoever.”
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