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caused difficulties for Iran in securing financing arrangements necessary for such supplies, thus delaying or blocking consignments.
Meanwhile, Iran has temporarily released more than 54,000 prisoners in an attempt at curtailing the spread of the novel coronavirus COVID-19 in the country’s crowded jails. Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili told reporters on March 3 that the inmates were allowed out of prison after testing negative for the virus and posting bail. However, "security prisoners" sentenced to more than five years, would not be let out, officials said.
Tehran also said that it was mobilising 300,000 soldiers and volunteers to combat the coronavirus outbreak.
Tehran has requested financial help from Russia that would assist in fighting Iran's coronavirus outbreak, Ria Novosti reported on March 3, citing Iranian Ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali.
Iran ranks fourth in the world for the number of people infected with novel coronavirus COVID-19. Only China, South Korea and Italy are faring worse.
2.2​ ​UN watchdog says Iran has tripled uranium stockpile in breach of nuclear deal
The UN's atomic watchdog has concluded that Iran has nearly tripled its stockpile of low-enriched uranium over the past three months. If that is the case, then Tehran can be accused of a sharp violation of the 2015 nuclear deal signed with six world powers.
Some experts have said Iran is reaching a volume sufficient for the production of a nuclear weapon, but they point out that it would require several more steps—including further enrichment—to make the uranium suitable for use in a bomb. According to the Washington-based Arms Control Association, Iran would need roughly 1,050kg of low-enriched uranium—under 5% purity—and would then need to enrich it further to weapons-grade, or more than 90% purity, for a weapon.
In a March 3 report, the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium had expanded to 1,020.9 kilograms compared to the nuclear accord limit of 300 kilograms. In its previous report, released in November, the watchdog said the stockpile stood at 372.3 kilograms.
The IAEA also said that Iran appears to have three undeclared atomic sites. It said it was demanding “clarifications” from Tehran. It added that Tehran refused to grant access to two of three suspected nuclear sites that the UN agency wanted to visit in late January.
Iran has insisted that its nuclear programme remains strictly for civilian and energy uses and that it has never had any ambition to build a nuclear bomb.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi told AFP that "Iran must decide to cooperate in a clearer manner with the agency to give the necessary clarifications.
"The fact that we found traces [of uranium] is very important. That means there is the possibility of nuclear activities and material that are not under international supervision and about which we know not the origin or the intent," Grossi said.
6​ IRAN Country Report​ March 2020 www.intellinews.com