ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iran on Saturday urged the UN nuclear watchdog to stop “parties from exploiting” the agency for political ends, stressing that Tehran “will respond appropriately” to any political measures its rivals might take using the watchdog’s report.

In a recent report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent, exceeding 45 times the limit authorized by the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran condemned the report, describing it as “unbalanced” and “political propaganda” against the Islamic republic.

In s phone call with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “emphasized that all of Iran's nuclear activities are conducted under the Agency’s supervision and within the framework of the Safeguards Agreement, with no deviation in activities or nuclear materials,” according to a statement from the Iranian foreign ministry.

Araghchi urged Grossi to prevent certain parties from “exploiting” the agency for their own political agendas against Tehran.

Britain, France, and Germany have threatened to reimpose sanctions on Iran if its nuclear program becomes a source of threat to Europe.

The foreign minister warned that “Iran will respond appropriately to any improper actions from European parties, and that responsibility for any resulting consequences will lie with those who use the Agency and its mechanisms as tools for advancing political goals against Iran.”

Iran and the West have found themselves at loggerheads for years over the nuclear issue, with the West distrusting Iran’s enrichment program and seeking robust assurances that the country is not building nuclear weapons, while Iran maintains that peaceful nuclear technology is its right as a Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) signatory.

Iran and the US have held five Oman-mediated rounds of talks around the nuclear issue in recent months, hoping to see eye to eye and reach a deal that would ease tensions between Iran and the West. The talks have thus far been described positively by both sides.