Call for Tactful IAEA Approach to Nuclear Data

Iran urged the UN nuclear watchdog to avoid publishing “unnecessary” details on its nuclear program, a day after Germany, France and Britain criticized Tehran for deciding to develop uranium metal.
In a Sunday statement posted on its website, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran asked the UN nuclear agency to avoid publishing details of Iran’s nuclear program that may cause confusion.
“It is expected that the International Atomic Energy Agency avoid providing unnecessary details and prevent paving ground for misunderstanding” in the international community, the statement said. 
On Saturday, Germany, France and Britain called on Iran to back off its plan to develop uranium metal, calling it “the latest planned violation” of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. 
“Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal,” they claimed in a joint statement. “The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications.”
Tehran denies any military aspect to its nuclear program that it says is exclusively for peaceful purposes. 
On Thursday, IAEA said Iran had informed the agency that it had started installing equipment for the production of uranium metal. It said Tehran maintains that its plans to conduct research and development on uranium metal production are part of its “declared aim to design an improved type of fuel”.
AEOI reacted to the European statement, saying Iran had informed the UN nuclear watchdog nearly two decades ago of its plans for the “peaceful and conventional” production of uranium metal. It also said it provided updated information to the agency two years ago about its plans to produce silicide advanced fuel.
The statement said uranium metal is an “intermediate product” in the manufacture of uranium silicide, a fuel used in nuclear reactors that is safer and has more power capability than uranium oxide-based fuel, which Iran currently produces.