WASHINGTON – Iran’s supreme leader said yesterday the Islamic republic could boost uranium enrichment to 60% if needed, hours before new limits on inspections by the UN nuclear watchdog went into force.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks came ahead of a deadline fixed by Iran’s Parliament to limit some inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) unless US sanctions were lifted by Sunday.
Later, Iran’s ambassador to the UN agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, said the new limitations would take effect as of midnight local time.
“The necessary instructions have been issued to the nuclear facilities,” he said.
On Sunday, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi held last-ditch talks in Tehran, where the two sides hammered out a temporary technical deal for up to three months that meets Parliament’s demands.
The US voiced concern yesterday over the temporary arrangement, urging Iran to comply “fully” with verification of its nuclear programme.
The deal comes as Tehran, US President Joe Biden and European powers try to salvage the troubled 2015 nuclear accord, which granted Iran international sanctions relief in return for restrictions on its nuclear programme.
The accord has been nearing collapse since former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018, reimposing crippling sanctions as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign.
Tehran responded a year later by starting to gradually roll back on key commitments. Early this year it boosted uranium enrichment back to 20%, the level it had reached before the nuclear deal.
The Islamic republic has repeatedly denied seeking to build nuclear weapons, a point Khamenei reiterated in comments posted on his official website yesterday. – AFP, February 23, 2021
