Iran threatened Wednesday to enrich its uranium stockpilecloser to weapons-grade levels in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate newterms for its 2015 nuclear deal, raising regional tensions as a US aircraftcarrier and bombers headed to the Middle East to confront Tehran.
A televised address by President Hassan Rouhani, who oncepledged that the landmark deal would draw Iran closer to the West, saw thecleric instead pressure Europe to shield Tehran from the sanctions imposed byPresident Donald Trump withdrawing the US from the agreement exactly a yearearlier.
Rouhani’s threats put the world on notice that it cannotcontinue to rely on Iran complying with terms of the unraveling deal in thecoming weeks.
Meanwhile, a US campaign of sanctions hammering Iran’sanemic economy and blocking its sale of oil on the global market is only makinglife worse, putting further pressure on both its theocracy and its 80 millionpeople.
Rouhani himself compared the situation to a medicalemergency for the Islamic Republic, only 40 years after its founding.
“We felt that the nuclear deal needs a surgery, and thepainkiller pills of the last year have been ineffective,” Rouhani said.”This surgery is for saving the deal, not destroying it.”
Iran on Wednesday stopped its sale of excess uranium andheavy water as a first step, Rouhani said, something required under the deal.The US last week ended deals allowing Iran to exchange its enriched uranium forunrefined yellowcake uranium with Russia, and to sell its heavy water, which isused as a coolant in nuclear reactors, to Oman.
In 60 days, if no new deal is in place, Iran will increaseits enrichment of uranium beyond the accord-permitted 3.67 per cent which canfuel a commercial nuclear power plant.
Rouhani did not say how far Iran would be willing to enrich,although the head of its nuclear program again reiterated Iran could reach 20per cent enrichment within four days.
Once a country enriches uranium to around 20 per cent,scientists say the time needed to reach the 90 per cent threshold forweapons-grade uranium is halved. Iran long has maintained its nuclear programis for peaceful purposes. However, Iranian state television’s English-languageservice Press TV, citing sources close to presidency, said the country wouldwithdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty if Europeans sought to sanctionIran at the UN Security Council.
Rouhani also said that if the 60 days pass without action,Iran will halt a Chinese-led effort to redesign its Arak heavy water nuclearreactor. Such reactors produce plutonium that can be used in nuclear weapons.
Iran notified Britain, Russia, China, the European Union,France and Germany of its decision earlier in the day. All were signatories tothe nuclear deal and continue to support it. Iranian Foreign Minister MohammadJavad Zarif met Wednesday in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrovand offered a letter as well.
“If the five countries join negotiations and help Iranto reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to itscommitments according to the nuclear deal,” Rouhani said.
Zarif separately issued his own warning from Moscow.
“After a year of patience, Iran stops measures that(the) US has made impossible to continue,” he tweeted. World powers have”a narrowing window to reverse this.”
Reaction came swiftly from Israeli Prime Minister BenjaminNetanyahu, a staunch critic of Iran and the nuclear deal.
“I heard that Iran intends to continue its nuclearprogram. We will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons,” Netanyahusaid. “We will continue to fight those who seek to take our lives, and wewill thrust our roots even deeper into the soil of our homeland.”
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in London, said America”will wait and observe” what Iran does next.
“They have made a number of statements about actionsthey have threatened to do in order to get the world to jump,” Pompeosaid.
Rouhani also made an implicit threat as well to Europe,saying Iran now cooperates on issues like targeting Afghan opium and hashishtraffickers and controlling immigration. “You are obliged … for your ownsecurity, for protecting your youths against drugs as well as controllinginflux of immigrants,” the president said.