Iran’s stockpile of uranium enriched just below the level needed for nuclear weapons surged more than 50% in the last three months, defying mounting pressure on the Islamic Republic to curb its atomic activities.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks in Tehran on Tuesday, aligning Russia and Iran’s positions on key aspects of Iran’s nuclear program. According to a statement from Russia’s Foreign Ministry,

Iran has significantly increased its production of near weapons-grade uranium, reportedly reaching 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched up to 60 percent, according to a United Nations report. This escalation is raising tensions between Tehran and Washington,

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60%, which is higher than what's necessary to produce nuclear power.

Iran has accelerated its production of near weapons-grade uranium as tensions between Tehran and Washington rise after the election of US President Donald Trump, a report by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog seen by The Associated Press on Wednesday showed.