Iran announced a day before the one-year anniversary of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani’s death that it is planning to enrich uranium to 20% in an apparent violation of the nuclear deal.
Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the civilian Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, sent a letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency saying that his country intends to increase its enrichment, a move that will likely further escalate tensions with the United States.
“Iran has informed the agency that in order to comply with a legal act recently passed by the country’s parliament, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran intends to produce low-enriched uranium (LEU) up to 20 percent at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. Iran’s letter to the agency, dated [Dec. 31, 2020] did not say when this enrichment activity would take place,” the International Atomic Energy Agency told the Hill.
“The agency has inspectors present in Iran on a 24/7 basis and they have regular access to Fordow,” the International Atomic Energy Agency added, noting that its director-general will “promptly report any relevant developments to IAEA Member States.”
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, known as the Iran nuclear deal, was made in 2015 by Iran and the U.S. in addition to Germany, France, Britain, China, and Russia before President Trump pulled the U.S. out of the pact. The deal stipulates that Iran cannot enrich uranium by more than 3.67%, although the country has already enriched the nuclear material to 4.5% in violation of the treaty.
There are fears of potential attacks by Iran or its proxies against U.S. interests as Sunday’s one-year anniversary of Soleimani’s killing approaches. This week, in a show of force, the U.S. flew B-52 bombers off of Iran’s coast, and Trump has warned that “if one American is killed,” he “will hold Iran responsible.”
Iran held an event Friday marking Soleimani’s death where Judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi, a top official in the country, warned that those who killed the Quds Force commander would “not be safe on Earth” and that Trump, who ordered the targeted killing, would not be “immune from justice.”
Since leaving the nuclear deal, the U.S. has pursued a “maximum pressure” campaign intended to squeeze the Iranian regime into submission.
