Iran to Break Uranium Enrichment Deal by 27 June
Its
atomic energy agency said Iran had quadrupled its production of the material,
which is used to make reactor fuel and potentially nuclear weapons.
But
it added there was "still time" for European countries to act by
protecting Iran from reinstated US sanctions.
The
UK, France and Germany have warned Iran not to violate the deal.
They
have said they will have no choice but to reimpose their own sanctions, which
were lifted in return for limits on the Iranian nuclear programme.
This
latest development comes at a time of high tension in the region, with the US
deploying military reinforcements and accusing Iran of being behind suspected
attacks that left two oil tankers ablaze on Thursday. Iran denies any
involvement.
Iran
has complained that they have failed to abide by their commitments to mitigate
the effects of the US sanctions that took effect after President Donald Trump
abandoned the deal last year.
Mr Trump wants to
force Iran to renegotiate the accord and agree to curb its ballistic missile
programme and end its "malign" activities in the Middle East.
In early May, Iran
signalled its intention to break-out from some of the constraints imposed by
the nuclear deal. On Monday, it repeated that threat, adding that the rate of
enrichment was being stepped up and that it expected to break the limit on the
amount of low-enriched uranium it can hold before the end of this month.
But
since its first announcement the context has changed dramatically with two sets
of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf - both attributed by the US to Iran.
Many
fear that Washington and Tehran are on the verge of a military clash and that
miscalculation could tip them over the edge.
Iran's
further threat today to increase its level of enrichment to a stage that would
bring it much closer to weapons-grade material adds another element of risk
into an already combustible mix.
In early May, Mr
Trump stepped up pressure on Iran by ending exemptions from US secondary
sanctions for countries still buying Iranian oil. The move was intended to deny
the Iranian government its principal source of revenue.
Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani subsequently announced that his country was scaling
back its commitments under the nuclear deal.
This included no
longer complying with caps on its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium and heavy
water - set at 300kg and 130 tonnes respectively - and halting sales of surplus
supplies overseas.
Mr
Rouhani also gave the European powers 60 days to protect Iranian oil sales. If
they failed, he said, Iran would suspend its restrictions on uranium enrichment
and halt the redesign of its heavy-water reactor at Arak, whose spent fuel
would contain plutonium suitable for a bomb.
On
Monday, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran told a televised
news conference at Arak that the "countdown to pass the 300kg reserve of
enriched uranium has started". "In 10 days' time... we will pass this
limit," Behrouz Kamalvandi said.
"This
is based on Articles 26 and 36 of the [nuclear deal], and will be reversed once
other parties live up to their commitments," he added, referring to
clauses setting out how Iran and other state parties will respond to
violations.
"There
is still time for the Europeans... But the Europeans have expressed indirectly
their inability to act. They should not think that after 60 days, they will
have another 60-day opportunity."
Mr
Kamalvandi also said Iran might start enriching uranium up to 5% or 20%
concentration so that it could provide fuel for the Bushehr power plant and the
Tehran research reactor. The nuclear deal permits enrichment only up to 3.67%,
while "weapons-grade" uranium is 90% enriched.
FROM .bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-
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