Two days after a “sabotage” of its Natanz enrichment plant, which Tehran blames on Israel, Iran announced on Tuesday April 13 that it would “Start enriching uranium to 60 % “, according to the official IRNA agency. Abbas Araghchi, Deputy Foreign Minister, made the announcement “In a letter to Rafael Grossi”, the Executive Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The Islamic Republic is currently enriching uranium to 20% in isotope 235, well beyond the limit of 3.67% set by the international Iranian nuclear agreement concluded in Vienna in 2015. Enrichment to 60% on would be able to quickly go to the 90% and more, necessary for the use of this ore for military purposes.
IRNA does not specify when these activities would start, which would mark a further step in the violation of commitments made by Iran to the international community in 2015 to limit its nuclear program. But according to PressTV, the state television news channel in English, this measure will be implemented on Wednesday.
“We have seen the press information” about it, but “We have no comments at this stage”, said an IAEA spokesperson in Vienna.
“A thousand additional centrifuges”
The Islamic Republic has always denied wanting to acquire nuclear weapons, arguing a moral and religious ban. In his letter to Mr. Grossi, Mr. Araghchi also states that “One thousand additional centrifuges with a capacity of 50 % higher will be added to the machines present in Natanz, in addition to the replacement of damaged machines ” by the explosion on Sunday in this nuclear complex in central Iran, adds IRNA without further details.
The announcements come hours after a meeting in Tehran between Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. Earlier, state television announced that Mr. Araghchi had left Tehran to attend a meeting in Vienna on Wednesday to take stock of the ongoing discussions aimed at reintegrating the United States into the agreement on the nuclear power in 2015 and to bring Tehran back to the strict application of the text, in exchange for the lifting of the sanctions imposed by Washington against the Islamic Republic since 2018.
An act of sabotage caused a power failure at the uranium enrichment plant at the Natanz nuclear complex on Sunday morning. “With this action, the Zionist regime has, of course, tried to take revenge on the Iranian people for the patience and wisdom they have shown. [en attendant] the lifting of sanctions “ Americans, Iranian foreign spokesman Said Khatibzadeh said at a press conference in Tehran on Monday. Mr. Khatibzadeh accused Israel of wanting to scuttle the ongoing talks in Vienna between Tehran and Washington to resuscitate the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
