Tehran, Dec 14 (IANS): Iran's atomic chief stated on Saturday that the announced increase in inspections by the United Nations nuclear watchdog of the country's nuclear facilities is a natural development, driven by Tehran's enhanced uranium enrichment capacity.

Mohammad Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), made these remarks in response to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) released on Thursday. The report revealed that Iran had agreed to more stringent monitoring at its Fordow facility in the central province of Qom, following a boost in its uranium enrichment to up to 60 percent purity, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.

Eslami said, "When we carry out nuclear activities and deal with nuclear materials, a change in the scale will naturally change the level of monitoring. This is obvious and natural. We have increased (uranium enrichment) capacity, and it is natural that the inspections should increase."

He assured that Iran is acting in full compliance with the IAEA's regulations and that no obstacles would be placed in the way of the agency's monitoring efforts, Xinhua news agency reported.

On November 21, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution urging Iran to improve cooperation with the agency and submit a "comprehensive" report, pressuring Tehran to resume nuclear talks. In response, Iran announced the activation of a "substantial" number of new "advanced" centrifuges.

Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with several major countries in 2015. The agreement imposed restrictions on Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.

However, the US government under then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement unilaterally in May 2018, reinstating sanctions and prompting Iran to scale back some of its nuclear commitments.