Iran’s Commendable Step to Increase Uranium Enrichment

By: Kayhan Int’l
     
With the end of the 60-day deadline set by Iran to the European signatories of the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) to honour their commitments to the international nuclear deal, which they still have not, the Islamic Republic has decided to increase its uranium enrichment level to around 5 percent for the time being, from the 3.67 percent limit it had agreed at Geneva in 2015 under conditions that all illegal sanctions are removed.

      Unfortunately, Iran was deceived, since the West, including the US and the big three European states (France, Germany, and Britain), did not lift all the sanctions they had promised to do.

      Iran, which had increased its uranium enrichment level to 20 percent despite the assassination of several of its nuclear scientists by agents of the Mossad and CIA, and then willingly agreed to downgrade it, felt cheated, especially since the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had time again verified the peaceful nature of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme.

     Moreover, in accordance with divine injunctions, Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, had issued a fatwa (edict), that production of nuclear and other weapons of destruction is religiously prohibited.

     Matters, however, took a turn for the worse with the election of the quixotic Donald Trump as president of the world’s most dangerously nuclear-armed power, and his calls for renegotiating the JCPOA, which he called a "bad deal” – an unjust demand which Iran categorically rejected.

      While all other signatories adhered to the JCPOA and advised the US president against playing spoil sport, the realtor who had no idea of either international law or of diplomacy, blatantly breached the nuclear accord in May 2018 through unilateral withdrawal, while pursuing a policy of economic terrorism against Iran by threatening countries and companies doing business with sanctions, on the assumption of browbeating the Islamic Republic into submission.

      He and his team of thugs labelled all sorts of wild accusations against Iran and started flexing their military muscles in the region, while the ‘big three’ European signatories to the JCPOA refrained from carrying out their own commitments by dragging their feet concerning the mode of international transactions and virtually violated the Geneva international deal.

     As a result, Iran had no other choice but, as per the clauses of the JCPOA, reduce its own commitments to a deal clearly heading towards the graveyard, by presenting the Europeans with a 60-day choice, either to honour their commitments or let the Islamic Republic take the lawful and legal measures of increasing the percentage and stocking of enriched uranium. 

     Thus, with the failure of France, Britain, and Germany, to make the proper choice, on July 7 Iran exercised its inalienable rights, as per JCPOA clauses, to increase uranium enrichment to 5 percent, the grade required for the Bushehr Atomic Power Plant.

      In the meantime, the Islamic Republic by shooting down last month the most expensive and sophisticated radar-evading American spy drone with missiles it was designed to dodge, the moment it violated Iranian airspace, gave the necessary warning to Washington against dreams of any military adventure in the region.

      Now, since there is no question whatsoever of talks with the notorious liar called Trump, Iran has given a further 60-day deadline to the JCPOA signatories to rectify their wrongs for working out a solution that includes the lifting of all US sanctions and military threats, or else, the Islamic Republic will continue to increase the percentage of uranium enrichment as per its requirements in the difference industries.