As world powers are stepping up efforts to return to a nuclear deal with Iran, the Islamic Republic is testing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles in violation of the agreement, Israel revealed this week.

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Israeli Ambassador to the United States and the United Nations Gilad Erdan has sent a letter to the UN Security Council and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, revealing information about Iran's illegal missile activities, which violate Resolution 2231 that endorsed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action back in 2015.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps has been testing missiles for several months, including nuclear ones, Erdan wrote in his letter. He called on UNSC members to condemn Tehran's actions.

The Security Council must respond to Iran's threats to world peace and security, Erdan wrote, and described in detail the kinds of missiles the regime was testing and what their capabilities were.

During one of its military exercises in mid-January, called "The Great Prophet 15," Iranian forces tested missiles of various ranges, including the Sejjil and Qader ballistic missiles, which are capable of carrying a 650 kg (1400 pounds) warhead and have a range of approximately 2,000 km (1,200 miles).

Tehran's technological progress once again reflects the link between the regime's space and military programs, which work together to develop the regime's nuclear capabilities, Erdan wrote in his letter.

Meanwhile, Iran warned Israel and the US Thursday about possible retaliation after the Jewish state struck Saviz, an Iranian-flagged ship, in the Red Sea on Tuesday.

"No doubt the United States was involved," an Iranian military spokesman said.

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Iran has produced 55 kg (120 pounds) of 20% enriched uranium since January 2021, exceeding the monthly target of 10 kg (22 pounds) per month required by an Iranian law that has recently been passed in retaliation for US sanctions,  authorities said Wednesday.

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The announcement came a day after Tehran and Washington held what they described as "constructive" indirect talks in Austria on Tuesday in an attempt to find ways to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, which prohibits enrichments to such levels of purity.

In 2020, the parliament passed a law that required the Republic to toughen its nuclear stance and produce at least 120 kg (265 pounds) of 20% enriched uranium each year, or 10 kg (22 pounds) a month.

The decision came as a result of former US President Donald Trump's decision to leave the nuclear agreement and imposed tough sanctions on the regime.

Trump's withdrawal prompted the ayatollah regime to steadily overstep the JCPOA limits on its nuclear program designed to make it harder to develop an atomic bomb – an ambition Tehran denies.

Iran's production rate is already "up to 40%" faster than what the law requires, Atomic Energy Organization spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said.

"In less than four months, we have produced 55 kg (120 pounds) of 20% enriched uranium. In around eight months, we can reach 120 kg (265 pounds)," Kamalvandi told state TV.

Uranium is considered highly enriched as of 20%, making it possible to manufacture nuclear weapons.

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