Iran says it will begin 60% uranium enrichment
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – The Iranian government has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that it will begin 60% uranium enrichment, Axios reports. This will be the most serious Iranian violation of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal since the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018.
Iran’s decision was relayed to reporters by the country’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi Tuesday, as he arrived in Vienna for ongoing nuclear talks with the US and other world powers: the US Biden administration has expressed interest in returning to the JCPOA if Iran complies with its obligations under the deal.
Axios notes in its report that Iran’s announcement “comes in response to [Sunday’s] explosion at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, for which Iran blames Israel.”
In his statement to reporters, Araghchi added that, in addition to replacing the centrifuges destroyed at the weekend, a further 1,000 centrifuges with 50% more enrichment capacity will be installed at Natanz.
Although 60% uranium enrichment is less than the 90% required to produce a nuclear weapon, enriching to this level would take Iran further than ever before to making an atomic bomb, Axios notes. Until now, Iran claims it has been enriching to 20%.
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