The Islamic Republic continues to violate nuclear deal; Iran announces plans to further increase uranium enrichment, increase amount of centrifuges; Trump: Iran better be careful… I won’t tell you what that reason is, but it’s no good.
Iran announced it is considering upping its uranium enrichment to 20% from the permitted 3.67% under the nuclear deal. The announcement was given by a spokesman from the Iranian Supreme National Security Council just one day following its announcement it would violate the deal for the second time at a projected 5%.
Iran has now increased its enriched uranium and heavy water production at both the Natanz and Arak plants. It further announced it would consider next increasing the number of permitted centrifuges as a third major violation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, nuclear deal). Highly purified enriched uranium can be used to create a nuclear weapon, and heavy water can be used for nuclear reactors. Centrifuges are used to enrich the concentration of the active isotope of uranium and can be used to generate power for nuclear weapons, among other capabilities.
Iran has given the remaining signatories of the nuclear deal, the UK, Germany, France, Russia, and China, an extension to find a solution to President Trump’s sanctions. The US President warned Iran on Monday, “Iran better be careful because you enrich for one reason, and I won’t tell you what that reason is, but it’s no good.”
On May 8, the Trump Administration withdrew from the JCPOA with world powers. It placed its first round of stringent sanctions on the Islamic Republic in August of 2018 and has continued to add more. The most recent sanctions have directly targeted Iran’s Supreme Leader, his office, and other Iranian government officials.
The White House confirmed it would next issue sanctions on Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif.
