TEHRAN, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman, Esmaeil Baghaei, on Monday slammed what he described as "untrue" claims by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and its Director General, Rafael Grossi, regarding the nature of Iran's "peaceful" nuclear program.

Baghaei made the remarks during a weekly press conference in Tehran, responding to recent IAEA reports which stated that Iran had "substantially raised" its production of highly enriched uranium since December, increasing its stockpile of near-weapons-grade material. Grossi had made similar comments on the matter.

Baghaei said Tehran expected the IAEA chief to act within the framework of his authority and duties, stating that making political conjectures was neither part of Grossi's responsibilities nor helpful in resolving concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

"Such statements are in no way based on realities," he added, noting that Iran's nuclear program had repeatedly been proved to be within the frameworks of international law, the safeguards agreement with the IAEA, and the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Baghaei also suggested that the IAEA's actions were influenced by the demands of certain Western countries, implying that the reports stemmed from political rather than technical concerns.

In its reports seen by the media on Wednesday, the IAEA claimed that Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity level had reached 274.8 kg, which, according to an IAEA yardstick, "is enough for six nuclear bombs if enriched further."

Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015, accepting restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions.

However, the United States withdrew from the agreement in May 2018 and reinstated sanctions, prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.

Efforts to revive the JCPOA commenced in April 2021 in Vienna, Austria. Despite multiple rounds of negotiations, no substantial progress has been reported since the last talks in August 2022. Enditem

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