Iran has made its intention to enrich uranium a reality and has begun theprocess of enriching uranium to 20%.
It should be noted that on January 2, Iran had expressed its intention toenrich uranium to the UN nuclear watchdog.
“The process of enriching uranium to 20% has begun at the Shahid AliMohammadi Enrichment Complex (Fordow),” official spokesman Ali Rabei toldIran’s state broadcaster’s website.
According to the official, “Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has recentlyordered an enrichment process and the gas injection process began a fewhours ago.”
On the other hand, the European Union said that Iran’s uranium enrichmentprogram was tantamount to a “large-scale withdrawal” from the nuclear deal.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed Iran’sintention to enrich uranium.
EU spokesman Peter Stano said he would wait in Brussels for a briefing fromthe director of the UN nuclear watchdog (IAEA) on what to do about it.
According to an IAEA report published in November, Tehran had previouslyenriched uranium far beyond the 2015 Vienna Convention (3.67%) but did notexceed 4.5%.
U.S. intelligence agencies and the IAEA believe Iran had a secret andintegrated nuclear weapons program that was halted in 2003.
US President-elect Joe Biden has indicated that Washington will join ajoint comprehensive plan aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program.
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German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the change of US administrationmeant that there was a “last window” for positive progress with Iran, which“should not be lost”.
Iran’s statement on uranium enrichment came after Mohsen Fakhrizada, aprominent Iranian nuclear scientist, was shot dead near the capital,Tehran, in November 2020.
Iran has said Israeli weapons were used in the assassination of a nuclearscientist.
It should be noted that US President Donald Trump had announced hiswithdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran in 2018, which was aimed atlimiting Iran’s activities in the region and withdrawing from the missileprogram.
On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump declared Iran a dangerous countryand announced his withdrawal from the nuclear deal signed by formerPresident Barack Obama with world powers including China, Russia, Britainand Germany.
On March 5, 2019, the UN nuclear watchdog said that Iran was complying withthe 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and was committed to refrainingfrom developing further weapons.
In 2015, then-US President Barack Obama signed an agreement in Viennabetween other world powers, including Britain, China, France, Germany,Russia and the United States, on Iran’s nuclear program.
Iran had also signed an agreement stating that it would suspend allballistic missile development programs and lift sanctions on Iran as analternative to the agreement and receive billions of dollars in aid.
