Official: Iran to enrich uranium to 60%, highest level ever.
Blackout at power plant roils diplomatic efforts
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Iran will begin enriching uranium up to 60% purity after an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, a negotiator said Tuesday, pushing its program to higher levels than ever before though still remaining short of weapons-grade.
The announcement marks a significant escalation after the sabotage that damaged centrifuges, suspected of having been carried out by Israel – and could inspire a further response from Israel amid a long-running shadow war between the nations.
Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister had warned that the weekend assault at Natanz could hurt ongoing negotiations over its tattered atomic deal with world powers. Those talks are aimed at finding a way for the United States to reenter the agreement, the goal of which is to limit Iran’s uranium enrichment in exchange for relief on sanctions.
Nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi, in Vienna to begin informal talks Tuesday night, made a point to make his announcement in English.
“We believe this round of negotiations is the time for the U.S. to present a list, and I hope that I can go back to Tehran with the list of sanctions which should be lifted,” Araghchi told Iranian state television’s English-language arm Press TV.
He said authorities would add another 1,000 centrifuges to Natanz as well.
“The damaged centrifuges in Natanz ... would be replaced with more advanced centrifuges and more capable centrifuges,” he said. “We insist on what we have asked. All sanctions should be lifted, we verify, and then we go back to full compliance if we are satisfied with the verification process.”
Iran had been enriching up to 20%, and even that is a short technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90%.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported an Israeli-owned ship had been attacked in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of the United Arab Emirates near the port city of Fujairah. The broadcaster said Israeli security officials believed it was an Iranian attack, but did not elaborate. Iranian state media had been reporting a similar incident for hours. U.S. military officials declined to immediately comment, and Emirati officials did not acknowledge any incident there.
Iran insists its nuclear program is peaceful, though the West and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Tehran had an organized military nuclear program up until the end of 2003. However, the nuclear deal prevents it from having enough of a uranium stockpile to be able to pursue a nuclear weapon.
The talks in Vienna are aimed at reviving America’s role in that agreement, which former President Donald Trump abandoned, and lifting the sanctions he imposed.
The Vienna-based IAEA told The Associated Press that Director General Rafael Grossi reported to member states on Tuesday that Iran had informed the agency it planned to begin enriching uranium up to 60% purity at its Natanz facility.