Washington DC, July 8: United States secretary of state Mike Pompeo has threatened Iran on Sunday with further “isolation and sanctions” hours after Tehran made an announcement it will begin exceeding the uranium-enrichment limit “in a few hours” set in its landmark 2015 international nuclear deal with the world powers.
In a tweet, Pompeo wrote, “Iran’s latest expansion of its nuclear program will lead to further isolation and sanctions. Nations should restore the longstanding standard of no enrichment for Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s regime, armed with nuclear weapons, would pose an even greater danger to the world.”
Iran’s latest expansion of its nuclear program will lead to further isolation and sanctions. Nations should restore the longstanding standard of no enrichment for Iran’s nuclear program. Iran’s regime, armed with nuclear weapons, would pose an even greater danger to the world.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 7, 2019
According to ANI news reports, several media quoted officials as saying Iran was ratcheting up the exceeding limit of enriching uranium beyond the set 3.67 percent which was allowed under the 2015 International Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.
Moreover, Iran had earlier this month hikes its stockpile of the low-enriched uranium beyond of what it was permitted to do under the pact.
The move considered as an attempt to press Europe to secure the deal after United States President Donald Trump pull America out of the pact last year and reimposed sanctions over Tehran, including its banking and oil sectors, according to Al-Jazeera news reports.
Iran has also warned to abandon additional nuclear commitments unless the European signatories – France, Germany, Britain, China, and Russia – take steps to secure the deal and evade sanctions, particularly on its crude oil.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif stated Tehran’s moves were “reversible” if the signatories upheld their commitments in order to save the INF pact.
Having failed to implement their obligations under JCPOA—incl after US withdrawal—EU/E3 should at minimum politically support Iran’s remedial measures under Para 36, incl at IAEA.
E3 have no pretexts to avoid a firm political stance to preserve JCPOA & counter U.S unilateralism.— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 7, 2019
In his official Twitter handle, Zarif said, “Iran is committed to the full implementation of the #JCPOA: as long as E3/EU implement THEIR economic commitments. So moving forward, Iran will comply with its commitments under the JCPOA in exactly the same manner as the EU/E3 have—and will—comply with theirs. Fair enough?”