Rouhani: Iran will ramp up uranium enrichment from Sunday
Iran will ramp up uranium enrichment on Sunday, breaking the terms of the deal it signed four year ago with the US and five other countries.
President Hassan Rouhani said today that Iran will enrich “whatever amount we feel like” above the limit set in the nuclear deal.
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Earlier this week the country exceeded the stockpiles of low-enriched uranium it was allowed under the deal.
Its move came after US President Donald Trump broke his end of the bargain, re-imposing sanctions on Iran. The Trump administration hoped to bring Iran back to the table to re-negotiate the deal.
However, Rouhani said his government’s plans would be reversible.
“All of our actions can be returned to the previous condition within one hour, why are you worried?” he said.
The Iran nuclear deal, signed by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama
The president also threatened to switch on a heavy water reactor which was decommissioned in 2016.
“From [July 7] onward with the Arak reactor, if you don’t operate [according to] the programme and time frame of all the commitments you’ve given us, we will return the Arak reactor to its previous condition,” Rouhani said.
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However, the President said that if the deal’s other signatories – the UK, France, Germany, Russia and China – honour it, Iran would reduce its enriched uranium stockpile.
Iranian crude oil exports have dropped to around 300,000 barrels per day in June, according to reports. This is down from 2.5m barrels before Trump ripped up the deal and imposed sanctions.