Iran has tried in vain to prevent a Western push for a resolution against it at the U.N. nuclear watchdog's board meeting by offering to cap its stock of uranium just shy of weapons grade, the watchdog and diplomats said on Tuesday.

VIENNA: Iran has offered not to expand its stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 per cent purity, near the roughly 90 per cent of weapons-grade, and made preparations to do that, the UN nuclear w

U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday he hopes Iran's move towards capping its stock of uranium just short of weapons grade will hold, as his agency's board was set to pass a Western-drafted resolution that could derail that.

According to the IAEA, Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state to enrich uranium to 60%-- close to the 90% threshold required to develop a nuclear weapons. The IAEA said Iran had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium in recent months,