Official reports Iran to enrich uranium to highest level ever
Escalation announced after sabotage damages centrifuges
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — 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 weaponsgrade.
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. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed never to allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon and his country has twice preemptively bombed Mideast nations to stop their atomic programs.
Already earlier in the day, 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 followed by a formal session Thursday — 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. "Otherwise, I don't believe we can continue like this. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time."
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% — even that was a short technical step to weapons-grade levels of 90%.
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 deal, which former President Donald Trump abandoned, and lifting the sanctions he imposed.
In a report released Tuesday, but dated last week, the U.S. said it believes Iran is not seeking a nuclear weapon.
"We continue to assess that Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weaponsdevelopment activities that we judge would be necessary to produce a nuclear device," according to the annual report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The Vienna-based IAEA said it was aware of Araghchi's comments, but had no immediate comment. The negotiator said that a full letter explaining Iran's position already had been given to the agency, whose inspectors have been closely monitoring Tehran's program since the 2015 nuclear deal.
Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's ambassador to the IAEA, said that "those who undertook an act of sabotage against the nuclear facility in Natanz probably wanted to undermine the process of" reviving the nuclear accord.
"They underestimated the possibility of significant 'side effects,'" he tweeted. Russia is a member of the nuclear deal.
The move to 60% had been hinted at in the past. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had threatened to go to that level in February if the country needed.
"We are determined to develop our nuclear capabilities in line with the needs of the country," Khamenei said then, according to a transcript of his speech published by his website. "For this reason, Iran's enrichment will not be limited to 20%, and we will take whatever action is necessary for the country."