Following Iran’s move to increase uranium enrichment levels, President Donald Trump warned the country to “better be careful.”
Iran made the move last week to increase uranium enrichment levels beyond the limits set in the nuclear deal it had reached in 2015 with the U.S. and five other powers, thus demonstration non-compliance with the pact which the United States left last year.
Tehran had said earlier that it would breach uranium enrichment levels should the deal’s European signatories fail to relieve sanctions on the country’s banking and oil sectors, although it continues to claim that its enrichment is for non-military purposes.
Trump issued a warning to Tehran on Sunday, saying, “Because you enrich for one reason and I won’t tell you what the reason is. But it’s no good; they better be careful.”
But Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani announced his country’s intention to stop abiding by the nuclear deal’s commitments as a result of the U.S.’ own withdrawal from it and its increased diplomatic and military pressure on Tehran.
Iran said over the weekend that it had started enriching uranium past the previous limit of 3.67%, levels which surpassed 4.5% by Monday.
The spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency, Frederik Dahl, said the agency confirmed Iran had exceeded the 3.67% mark. Later that day, France announced it was sending a top diplomat to Iran to try and de-escalate tensions over the country’s nuclear program.
A spokesperson for French President Emmanuel Macron said the President’s diplomatic adviser Emmanuel Bonne would travel to Tehran on Tuesday, as well as that the country will seek to resume dialogue between all parties by July 15.
White House spokesman Judd Deere said Macron had likewise spoken to President Trump about “ongoing efforts to ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon and to end Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the Middle East.”
Iran is facing increasing pressure from Washington and its allies to rein in its nuclear program.
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