Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles exceed nuclear deal caps

Published time: 1 Jul, 2019 10:55Edited time: 1 Jul, 2019 12:35

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FILE PHOTO: Arak heavy water production facility © REUTERS/Fars News MN

Iranian stockpiles of enriched uranium have exceeded the 300kg cap set out in the 2015 nuclear deal, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed, saying the move was something Tehran had warned about.

“According to my information, Iran has surpassed the 300kg limit [in producing low-enriched uranium] and we had already announced [that we were planning to do] this,” Iran’s top diplomat told ISNA news agency on Monday. Moving beyond the limits was “part of our rights” under the nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The hard-earned deal found itself in jeopardy after the US unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and brought back sweeping economic sanctions against Tehran. Iran had ultimately decided to retaliate against US actions.

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Earlier in June, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that his country will further scale back commitments under the deal, setting the deadline for July 7.

Just last month, Iranian officials said that by June 27 the nation’s nuclear program will be placed beyond the deal’s limits. The Islamic Republic has “already increased” uranium production at a nuclear research site in Natanz in the central Isfahan province, spokesperson for the nation’s atomic energy agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said at the time.