The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed on Monday that Iran had enriched uranium to 20 per cent, in a serious breach of the 2015 Vienna agreement. The United States said Iran was engaged in “nuclear blackmail” and the European Union warned Iran that the move was a serious departure from the nuclear deal. Israel says Iran’s resumption of uranium enrichment is proof that it is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Earlier, the Iranian government said it had resumed uranium enrichment of up to 20 percent. The order was issued by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Iran said the Iaea “has the obligation for peaceful purposes to begin the production and stockpiling of enriched uranium up to 20 percent.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iaea chief Mauro Grorossi, told member states Monday that Iran has refined oil with a concentration of up to 20 percent, AFP reported. The IAEA said Iran notified the agency a few days ago to resume refining its enriched oil.
Iran reached a nuclear deal with major powers in 2015, and the United States announced its unilateral withdrawal from the agreement in May 2018. The deal was dealt another blow on Monday when Iran announced that it would resume enriching uranium to 20 percent purity.
Iranian government spokesman Ayatollah Ali Rabieh confirmed Monday that Iran had begun enriching uranium at its underground fordo nuclear facility south of Tehran this morning and that the first batch of 20 percent enriched uranium would be ready within hours.
The United States said Monday that Iran was engaging in “nuclear blackmail” by increasing its uranium enrichment, AGence France-Presse reported.
The move came after the European Union warned On Monday that Iran’s move to enrich uranium to 20 percent would be a “serious departure” from its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal. Eu spokeswoman Marie Stano said the BLOC would wait for a briefing by the International Atomic Energy Agency before deciding on its response, the French news agency reported. If true, it would constitute a serious departure from Iran’s commitments under the nuclear deal and could “involve serious nonproliferation violations,” the spokesman said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said Monday that Iran’s resumption of uranium enrichment is proof that it is seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. In a statement, Netanyahu said Iran’s actions “provide no explanation other than to demonstrate their intention to continue to achieve the development of a nuclear weapons program.” He also said Israel would not allow Iran to build a nuclear weapon.
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