Iran says it can produce higher enriched uranium if US exits nuclear deal
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif
Under the deal, which led to the lifting of most international sanctions in 2016, Iran's level of enrichment must remain around 3.6 per cent
Iran has the technical capability to enrich uranium to a higher level than it could before a multinational nuclear deal was reached to curb its nuclear programme, state TV quoted the head of Iran's Atomic Energy organisation Ali Akbar Salehi as saying.
US President Donald Trump has given European signatories to the 2105 deal a May 12 deadline to "fix the terrible flaws" in the agreement, or he will refuse to extend US sanctions relief on Iran.
Salehi warned Trump against taking this course. "Iran is not bluffing ... Technically, we are fully prepared to enrich uranium higher than we used to produce before the deal was reached... I hope Trump comes to his senses and stays in the deal."
Under the deal, which led to the lifting of most international sanctions in 2016, Iran's level of enrichment must remain around 3.6 per cent.
Uranium refined to 20 per cent fissile purity is well beyond the 5 per cent normally required to fuel civilian nuclear power plants, though still well short of highly enriched, or 80-90 per cent, purity needed for a nuclear bomb.
Also, French President Emmanuel Macron and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani will work on saving the Iran nuclear deal over the coming weeks despite threats from US President Donald Trump.
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The two leaders had an hour-long phone call where Macron conveyed his hopes for including Tehran's missile programmes, its nuclear activities beyond 2025 and the regional crisis in the Middle East.
As per reports, the Iran government had claimed that the US had breached the agreement by criticizing it ahead of President Donald Trump's decision about whether to abandon the deal.