Iran's nuclear agency says it has capacity to enrich uranium at any percentage

Irans' nuclear agency on January 25 reportedly said that the country has the capacity to enrich uranium at any percentage if Iranian authorities decide to do so.  Iran's nuclear agency said that at the moment Iranian authorities make the decision, the Atomic Energy Organisation will be able to enrich uranium at any percentage. Iran had earlier also said that it would scrap limitations on enriching uranium and will step back from commitments to a 2015 nuclear deal with six major powers. 

According to international media reports, Iran's country's stock of uranium produced has passed 1,200 kilograms and it will also quickly be added to the stock of enriched uranium. In 2015, Iran reached a historic nuclear deal with P5+1 group which included the US, UK, France, China, Russia and Germany. Iran, under the 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed to limit sensitive nuclear activities in lieu of lifting economic sanctions. However, US President Donald Trump, in May 2018, withdrew from the nuclear deal accusing Iran of violating the terms of JCPOA and followed it with crippling economic sanctions.

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Iran threatens to quit global nuclear deal

Tehran has also been steadily reducing its compliance with the deal, which has further prompted Britain, France and Germany to formally accuse it in mid-January of violating the terms and activating a dispute mechanism in the deal, which could eventually lead to the reimposition of UN sanctions.  Earlier this week, Iran also said that it could exit from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) if European nations refer to the UN Security Council over a nuclear agreement, a move which would overturn diplomacy in Iran's confrontation with the west. 

Furthermore, speaking about the deal to international media reporters, Abbas Mousavi, a spokesperson from the Iranian foreign ministry said that despite the ill will of European countries, the doors of negotiations are open adding that he does not think Iran, under the present conditions, has negotiations in mind. 

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(Image source: AP)