(Bloomberg) — Iran’s pledge to end its stockpile of enriched uranium close to levels needed for nuclear weapons was made unconditional and is the first time the nation has made such a proposal, according to the United Nations atomic watchdog.

International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors have verified that the Islamic Republic has taken the necessary steps to halt production of highly enriched nuclear fuel, Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi told a news conference on Wednesday. This could pave the way for improved relations between Iran and the IAEA after years of deadlock.

“They’re taking a different direction,” Grossi said. “This is the first time I’ve said ‘okay, we’re stopping.’

The Iranian move was interpreted as an olive branch by President Masoud Pezeshkian to the incoming administration of US President Donald Trump, who has adopted an ultra-aggressive stance towards the Islamic Republic in his first term until 2021, dubbed “maximum pressure”. . This included withdrawing from an international agreement that limited Iran’s nuclear activities and imposing severe economic sanctions, but led to a decrease in transparency about the extent of the country’s atomic activities.

Iran scaled back its nuclear activity following talks between Grossi and Pezeshkian earlier this month in Tehran. The IAEA chief on Wednesday praised a follow-up conversation with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi this week that should yield more concrete results. Iran has always said its nuclear work is entirely for energy needs.

As the IAEA’s 35-nation governing council deliberates on Iran’s nuclear program this week in Vienna, Grossi called on its members to act with “prudence, cooperation and restraint” to avoid escalating “into a region that has suffered too much”.

Some European nations are pushing for a so-called censorship resolution, which would require the IAEA to produce a comprehensive report and could eventually trigger a referral to the UN Security Council to consider more sanctions.

Israel – which views Iran’s nuclear weapons capabilities as an existential threat – expects the IAEA’s board of governors to “speak with a clear voice and take a strong decision” to pass the resolution, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said in a statement, without referring to Iran’s latest commitment.

“It is essential that the resolution passes, because you know these days there are elements in Iran that are trying to push Iran to make progress on harmonizing the nuclear project,” Sa’ar said.

Iran has become increasingly embroiled in the conflict with US ally Israel over the past 14 months. The two countries have exchanged direct fire twice this year, including in October, as Tehran-backed militant groups battled Israel in both Lebanon and Gaza.

Responding to Israeli claims that Iran has resumed nuclear work at its Parchin military base, Grossi said his inspectors “have no facts to support this.”

Iran began enriching uranium to levels of up to 60 percent in 2021. That material could be quickly upgraded to the 90 percent level commonly used in nuclear weapons, raising concerns in Europe and the US.

Grossi warned that applying too much pressure on Iran at the wrong time could inadvertently damage a basic arms control agreement and lead the country to consider leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“It is important to strengthen and protect the non-proliferation regime,” he said.

Iran still has enough fuel on hand to produce a handful of warheads, the IAEA said, giving it room to maneuver if its leadership makes a political decision to go ahead with nuclear weapons. Inspectors have lost “continuity of knowledge” about key parts of the country’s nuclear activity, which should be restored as part of a broader agreement to control and oversee the activities, they said.

In a 12-page report released on Tuesday, IAEA monitors said Iran had prevented itself from feeding uranium to new advanced centrifuge lines at its Fordow enrichment facility, which Israel has threatened to attack. Speaking after meeting Grossi last week, Pezeshkian said Iran wanted to resolve “ambiguities and alleged doubts about our country’s peaceful nuclear activities,” according to the state-run Islamic Republic news agency.

–With help from Dan Williams.

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