IRAN WARNED OVER URANIUM ENRICHMENT MOVE

The European countries party to the Iran nuclear deal told Tehran on Wednesday its decision to enrich uranium at 60 per cent purity, bringing the fissile material closer to bomb-grade, was contrary to efforts to revive the 2015 accord.

But in an apparent signal to Iran's arch-adversary Israel, which Tehran blamed for an explosion at its key nuclear site on Sunday, European powers Germany, France and Britain added that they rejected “all escalatory measures by any actor.”

Israel, which the Islamic Republic does not recognize, has not formally commented on the incident at Iran's Natanz site, which appeared the latest twist in a long-running covert war.

Last week, Iran and its fellow signatories held what they described as “constructive” talks to revive the deal, which the Trump administration quit in 2018.