France: Iran accelerating violations of the JCPOA

In a joint statement, ambassadors from the United Kingdom, France and Germany to the United Nations said Iran's nuclear program "has never been more advanced than it is today."

Speaking ahead of a Security Council meeting on non-proliferation, French Ambassador Nicolas de Rivière called the situation "grave."

"This nuclear escalation is undermining international peace and security and the global nonproliferation system," de Rivière said.

Flanked by the ambassadors from Germany and the UK, de Rivière said "we are nearing the point where Iran's escalation of its nuclear program will have completely hollowed out the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog Rafael Mariano Grossi told The Associated Press on Tuesday, that he wanted to tell Iran that there was no way around his inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Grossi has warned that the restrictions faced by his inspectors in Iran threaten to give the world only a very blurred image of Tehran's program as it enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

Since the nuclear deal's collapse, Tehran has started enriching uranium up to 60% purity — a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. The deal limited enrichment to 3.67%, enough to be used in a power plant.

The nation's stockpile of enriched uranium grows every day far beyond the scope of the 2015 accord, which saw Tehran agree to limit its nuclear program in the exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

It also spins ever-more advanced centrifuges also barred by the deal.

While stressing he wasn't involved in the political negotiations ongoing in Vienna, Grossi acknowledged the advances made by Iran since the deal's collapse meant there would have to be changes to the original agreement.

Iran insists its program is peaceful, U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA have said Iran ran an organized nuclear weapons program until 2003.