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. 

Iran to react in kind in face of Europeans’ violations of JCPOA

Top advisor to Iran’s Leader

TEHRAN, Jul. 05 (MNA) – Senior adviser to Iran’s Leader Ali Akbar Velayati has said that Iran will increase the level of uranium enrichment from July 7, adding that the country will abide by the JCPOA in the way other parties do.

According to the institute for preserving and publishing the books of Iranian Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati said that Iran will resume high-level uranium enrichment as the second phase of Iran’s diminishing JCPOA commitments at the end of 60-day ultimatum from July 7.

Velyati said that Iran gave a lot of time to the European side to compensate for its losses after the US withdrawal from the JCPOA in accordance with their commitments, but they have not abided by their obligations so far despite their promises to do so.

He said that from July 7, the rate of uranium enrichment will exceed %3.67 permitted under the deal to the level it is required by the peaceful nuclear activities.

The top advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei added that Iran could increase the uranium enrichment level to %5 to provide fuel to Bushehr nuclear reactor as a completely peaceful goal of producing electricity and meeting the needs of other industries.   

Velayati added that Iran will abide by its JCPOA obligations in the way other parties do, stressing that the country will reconsider its decision to reduce JCPOA commitments if the other parties decide to live up to their commitments.

Iran has already implemented the first phase of its actions in reducing its JCPOA commitments by increasing the stockpile of enriched uranium above the 300kg outlined by the JCPOA, and has warned that the second phase of its actions will come into force from July 7 as previously announced.

Tehran says its countermeasures fit within its rights under paragraphs 26 and 36 of the nuclear deal, and that it will reverse the measures once its demands are met.

European signatories to the deal have established a special trade mechanism called INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) which they claim on Friday that it has become operational. The mechanism will initially cover trades of food, medicine and medical devices and to gradually include other areas.

Tehran says the channel is not sufficient and doesn’t meet the needs of the country which is faced with US sanctions. Iranian officials insist that EU should honor its JPCOA commitments in trading and banking sectors, and should provide the ground for Iran’s oil export.

Salehi: Quitting JCPOA Iran’s final scenario

By Maryam Salari & Shahrokh Saei

Since Donald Trump launched his presidential campaign, he seized every opportunity to rail against the 2015 Iran nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). He called the agreement “the worst deal ever”. Finally on May 8, Trump officially announced that Washington was withdrawing from the internationally-recognized accord. Iran, however, has remained committed to the JCPOA as the remaining signatories have pledged to adopt measures to help Tehran benefit from the deal despite the US withdrawal.

Iranian officials say the Islamic Republic may abandon the JCPOA if other sides fail to fulfill their promises. 

In an interview with Iran Daily, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi said Iran’s pull out of the JCPOA will work to the detriment of all sides.

Excerpts from the interview follow:

IRAN DAILY: US President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the JCPOA in May. However, Iran has remained committed to its obligations since the deal was signed in 2015. What goals is the Trump administration trying to achieve by quitting the accord?

SALEHI: Donald Trump took the helm of the Oval Office when Iran had been able to resist against US pressures and sanctions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The US president not only attempts to break this resistance but also leaves no stone unturned to destroy the achievements of his predecessor Barack Obama who managed to reach the nuclear deal with Iran, restore diplomatic relations with Cuba and take major steps in the global efforts to combat climate change.

Trump has always branded the JCPOA as a bad deal which has failed to meet US demands. Trump wants to sign a new deal because he believes that the JCPOA will enable Iran to achieve its nuclear objectives under the agreement’s clauses known as the “sunset provisions,”— which stipulate the expiry of various restrictions imposed on Iran’s nuclear program.

These are what Trump labels as the deal’s technical faults. In terms of political aspects, Iran’s growing influence in the Middle East runs counter to the interests of US regional allies including, Israel and Saudi Arabia. This is against Trump’s policies and his pro-Israel approaches.

Trump has said that he is ready to hold unconditional talks with Iran. Why does he insist on renegotiating the nuclear deal?

Negotiations between the US and Iran over the latter’s nuclear accord can be very important to the US president. Trump is wide aware of Iran’s considerable clout. Trump knows that he could become a legend if he succeeded in reaching a comprehensive economic and political deal with the Islamic Republic.

If Tehran and Washington held talks over other disputed issues, apart from Iran’s nuclear program, would they be able to settle their differences?

When we started nuclear talks with Americans they were interested in negotiating other issues. But Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei banned non-nuclear talks. The leader believed we should not trust the US because it always reneges on its promises. The US pullout of the JCPOA corroborated the Leader’s comments that trusting Washington is a big mistake.

Besides the fact that the Trump administration cannot be trusted, some of the Iranian political groups maintain that Tehran must not hold any talks with the US and regard any negotiations with Washington as “compromise”, what’s your take?

Before the nuclear negotiations began under President Hassan Rouhani’s administration, Ayatollah Khamenei allowed us to talk with the US in periods of time. This included meetings between Iranian and US ambassadors in Baghdad and negotiations between the two countries’ diplomats over the Afghanistan crisis. I also asked the Leader’s permission for holding confidential talks in Oman which led to the signing of the JCPOA.

Recently, the Leader said a meeting between Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and then secretary of state John Kerry was a mistake. But, he had earlier allowed confidential negotiations with the Americans.

This is because prior to nuclear talks, the Leader stressed that negotiations with the US should not be held in the level of foreign ministers and we followed the order in the talks in Oman.  But Zarif may have been allowed to hold direct talks with his then counterpart. Iran’s foreign minister is not authorized to sit for talks with his American counterparts without the Leader’s permission.

If the nuclear deal reached an impasse, what would be Iran’s post-JCPOA plans? Some of the political groups say the country should quit the NPT. Foreign Minister Zarif has also pointed to this.

As far as I know, Zarif said some groups in the country believe that if the US continues to throw a monkey wrench into the implementation of the JCPOA, Iran should abandon the NPT because the country cannot use its benefits then.

Is pulling out of the JCPOA an option on the table?

This is a major decision which must be taken by the country’s senior officials. The consequences of such a decision is so severe that I don’t want to think about.

We will make due decisions by considering all the necessary aspects.

For instance, the Leader ordered to launch and complete a very advanced unit to build modern centrifuges which has been quipped well.

The Leader has also issued orders to start developing systems for nuclear-powered marine vessels which is a 10-15 year project.

Nonetheless, these measures are in line within the framework of the JCPOA.

Iran can also suspend some of the limitations it accepted under the nuclear deal such as the volume and the level of uranium enrichment.

The final scenario could be abandoning the JCPOA, but I hope that through the cooperation of the remaining signatories to the deal it will never happen. This is because Iran’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal will work to the detriment of all sides.