The Islamic Republic threatens to leave the nuclear deal in entirety by July, violate uranium stockpile permissions in ten days time; AEOI: we will also increase production drastically. After we pass the limit of 300kg the pace and the speed of enriched uranium production at the lower rate will also increase; Netanyahu: Israel will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.
Iran announced it will surpass the uranium stockpile limits permitted under the nuclear deal in ten days if a solution is not found to its economic crisis. The announcement was made on Monday by a spokesperson for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, who threatened to reach the 300 kilograms (660 lbs.) level of enriched uranium permitted by June 27. He was quoted stating Monday, “We will go further from that ceiling, not only that but we will also increase production drastically. After we pass the limit of 300kg, the pace and the speed of enriched uranium production at the lower rate will also increase.”
In May, Iran announced it was giving the signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, nuclear deal) 60 days to find a solution to the United States’ crippling sanctions. At the time, an official from the AEOI announced it had stopped some of its obligations, mainly its heavy water production and uranium enrichment, at both the Natanz and Arak plants. In less than two weeks following, it announced it had quadrupled its uranium enrichment production capacity.
Aside from its violations of the nuclear deal, Iran has been increasing its attacks and military efforts in the region, from Syria to the Strait of Hormuz and through its regional proxies. They have fired missiles, downed drones, directly financed, supported and provided arms for terrorism against Israel and much more. Most recently, Israeli, British and American intelligence confirmed Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out attacks on oil vessels in the Gulf of Oman last week.
The Trump Administration is weighing options for additional sanctions, this time targeting Iran’s Special Trade and Finance Institute which was established to bypass US sanctions through the EU’s INSTEX mechanism. The institutions were set up as a means to allow for supposed “humanitarian” trade between Europe and Iran without the use of dollars, bypassing President Trump’s sanctions. The EU is frantically attempting to implement the mechanism as it’s last days to salvage the nuclear deal loom closer.
Prime Minister Netanyahu responded to Monday’s threats, calling on the international community to resume its sanctions on Iran if the deal is violated. He stated on Monday in response, “Today Iran threatened to enrich its uranium beyond the limits of the nuclear deal; this is not a surprise. In the event it acts upon these threats and violates the nuclear deal, the international community must immediately impose the sanctions that were previously in place. Israel will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon.”
