Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons: EU Spokesperson

Iran must be prevented from acquiring nuclear weapons, said Lead Spokesperson for the External Affairs of the European Union Peter Stano in an interview on Monday with Al Arabiya.

“Iran’s decision to increase uranium enrichment has dire consequences. Iran must honor its nuclear pledges,” Stano added.

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Iran said it had started enriching uranium to 20 percent purity at its Fordow facility, going well beyond the 2015 nuclear deal threshold. The move is the latest of several recent breaches of the agreement that started violating in 2019 in retaliation for Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement and the reimposition of US sanctions.

Stano added that the European Union would look at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report to make sure what Iran is doing exactly.

“The European Union hopes that Biden will return America to the nuclear deal, the European Union urges Iran to fulfill its nuclear obligations,” Stano added.

Iran said it had resumed 20 percent uranium enrichment at its underground Fordow nuclear facility, a government spokesman told the semi-official Mehr news agency on Monday, a level of purity that is not allowed under Tehran’s 2015 nuclear pact with six major powers.

The move is the latest of several recent Iranian breaches of the deal, which it started violating in 2019 in retaliation for Washington’s withdrawal from the agreement and the reimposition of U.S. sanctions against Tehran.

“A few minutes ago, the process of producing 20 percent enriched uranium has started in Fordow enrichment complex,” Ali Rabeie told Mehr. On Jan 1, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had told the watchdog it planned to resume enrichment up to 20 percent at Fordow site, which is buried inside a mountain.

With Reuters

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Iran says it has resumed 20 percent uranium enrichment at Fordow site: Mehr