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Iran confirmed on Tuesday it is now enriching uranium to 20 per cent purity, well beyond the threshold set by its 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, sparking international concern.<\/p>\n
The move at its underground Fordow facility was also confirmed by UN watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).<\/p>\n
It was the most striking suspension yet of Iranian commitments under the\u00a0landmark 2015 deal, a process it started in 2019 in response to US President Donald Trump’s\u00a0dramatic withdrawal\u00a0from the accord the previous year.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt around 7pm (1530 GMT on Monday), we reached 20pc\u201d enrichment, spokesman Behrouz Kamalavandi told state television in an interview aired on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Announcing the move on Monday, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said President Hassan Rouhani had ordered the enrichment \u201cin recent days\u201d in line with a law passed last month by the conservative-dominated parliament.<\/p>\n
The law \u201cfor the lifting of sanctions and protection of the Iranian people’s interests\u201d mandates Rouhani’s government to \u201cproduce and store 120 kilogrammes (265 pounds) per year of uranium enriched to 20pc\u201d.<\/p>\n
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted that \u201cwe resumed 20pc enrichment as legislated by our parliament,\u201d adding that the IAEA had been \u201cduly notified\u201d.<\/p>\n
He stressed that Tehran took the step \u201cafter years of non-compliance\u201d by other parties and that \u201cour measures are fully reversible upon full compliance by all\u201d.<\/p>\n
The step comes less than three weeks before the end of the presidency of Trump, who has sought to economically punish and diplomatically isolate Iran with a \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d campaign, including tough sanctions.<\/p>\n
The outgoing administration deplored Iran’s plan to step up uranium enrichment. \u201cIran enriching uranium to 20pc at Fordow is a clear attempt to increase its campaign of nuclear extortion, an attempt that will continue to fail,\u201d a State Department spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
The Iranian government has signalled a readiness to engage with US President-elect Joe Biden, who takes office on January 20 and has expressed willingness to return to diplomacy with Tehran.<\/p>\n
Iran’s return to enrichment of uranium to 20pc purity has triggered international concern because it is seen as a significant step towards the 90pc level required for a nuclear weapon.<\/p>\n
The IAEA confirmed that \u201cIran today began feeding uranium already enriched up to 4.1pc U-235 into six centrifuge cascades at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant for further enrichment up to 20pc\u201d.<\/p>\n
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted angrily and said it proved Iran is seeking to build an atomic bomb \u2014 a claim the Islamic republic has always denied.<\/p>\n
\u201cIran’s decision to continue violating its commitments, to raise the enrichment level and advance the industrial ability to enrich uranium underground, cannot be explained in any way except as the continued realisation of its intention to develop a military nuclear programme,\u201d Netanyahu said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIsrael will not allow Iran to manufacture nuclear weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
The European Union said Iran’s enrichment programme would be a \u201cconsiderable departure\u201d from the deal.<\/p>\n
Russia’s envoy to the IAEA said that Moscow is \u201cnot enthusiastic\u201d about Tehran’s move but emphasised that \u201cthere is nothing to overdramatise\u201d.<\/p>\n
\nWe aren\u2019t enthusiastic about further deviation of Tehran from its commitments under #JCPOA<\/a>. But there is nothing to overdramatise. The nuclear programme remains fully transparent and verifiable. We should focus on means to restore comprehensive implementation of the nuclear deal.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) January 4, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n