Iran has slowed uranium output: UN agency

VIENNA
: Iran has slowed production of enriched uranium, which can be used to make a nuclear bomb, and agreed to tighter monitoring of its
enrichment plant, the UN atomic watchdog said.

Tehran has also granted UN inspectors access to a research reactor long out of bounds, according to a restricted report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.

IAEA inspectors said while Iran was still installing uranium-enriching centrifuges at Natanz, the number of machines actually up and running had been reduced.

A total of 4,592 centrifuges were actively enriching uranium, compared with 4,920 at the time of the IAEA's last report in June. However the number of machines installed had been increased by around 1,000 to 8,308.

Iran is suspected of trying to develop atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear programme, a charge Tehran denies.

France, Germany and the United States have spoken in favour of an international energy embargo on Iran, which despite being rich in oil lacks domestic refining capacity.

A senior UN official refused to speculate on the reason for the slowdown, which could be for technical maintenance reasons or possibly a sign that the Islamic republic was changing tack in its long-running standoff with the West.