The UN's nuclear watchdog said on February 19 that it was discussing the results of recent verification activities with Iran after Bloomberg News reported the agency had detected uranium enriched to 84 percent purity, which is close to weapons grade.
Iran's troubled currency broke below the psychologically key level of 500,000 rial per U.S. dollar on February 20, as market participants saw no end in sight to sanctions.
The European Union will impose sanctions against dozens of Iranians, including judges, for their role in imposing death penalties on protesters, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said on February 20.
Iranian protesters have staged new anti-government protests in several neighborhoods of the capital, Tehran, in a continued show of defiance amid unrest over the death of a young woman while in police custody for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly.