Breach comes after remaining signatories to the pact fell short of Tehran’s demands to be shielded from U.S. sanctions
Jul 01, 2019 1:02 PM
Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile has passed the 300 kilogram limit under its nuclear deal, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Monday, citing an unnamed “informed source.”
Iranian officials have said in recent days that the Islamic Republic is on track to pass the enriched uranium limit, which was set under its nuclear deal, after remaining signatories to the pact fell short of Tehran’s demands to be shielded from U.S. sanctions.
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Overnight Sunday, sixteen people including a baby were killed and 21 were wounded by an Israeli attack on multiple Syrian and Iranian targets on the outskirts of Damascus and Homs, Syrian state-run al-Ikhbariya broadcaster reported, citing its correspondent.
Earlier Monday, Israel’s Mossad chief asserted that Iran is responsible for the recent attacks in the Gulf, citing the “best sources of Israeli and Western intelligence agencies.”
Speaking at a Herzliya conference, Yossi Cohen said that these attacks – which included targeting oil tankers, Saudi airports and sites in Baghdad – were approved by Iran’s leadership and most were carried out by the Revolutionary Guard and its proxies.
“Through these attacks,” said Cohen, “Iran is trying to tell the world it is not afraid of an escalation, and that if sanctions are not removed or eased it will cause serious harm to the global oil market.”
On Wednesday, the Iranian ambassador to the U.N. said Iran would exceed limits on low-enriched uranium set by the 2015 nuclear accord unless Britain, France and Germany take timely, practical steps to preserve the agreement that is “now in critical condition.”
Majid Takht Ravanchi told a Security Council meeting that the three European countries, which support the deal, and the United States, which pulled out of it, will have to “accept the full responsibility for any possible consequences” if serious steps aren’t taken.
Britain, France, Germany and three other European Union countries responded by strongly urging Iran to abide by the agreement and “refrain from escalatory steps.”
Under the 2015 agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium and submit to U.N. inspections in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in May 2018 and has imposed increasingly tough U.S. sanctions to pressure Iran to negotiate a better deal — and the U.S. has threatened sanctions against countries that trade with Iran.
Content retrieved from: https://www.haaretz.com/middle-east-news/iran-exceeds-threshold-for-stockpile-enriched-uranium-allowed-under-nuclear-deal-1.7426480.
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