Iran’s legislative watchdog council approved a bill on Wednesday that would ramp up the country’s uranium enrichment to near weapons-grade levels and suspend access to any of its nuclear facilities if U.S. sanctions against the country are not lifted early in President-elect Joe Biden’s first term.
The bill, passed by the Iran Parliament on Tuesday, orders Iran’s atomic energy agency to return uranium enrichment to levels not seen in the country since the United States and Iran entered the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015, commonly referred to as the Iran nuclear deal, if the incoming Biden administration and European powers fail to lift sanctions by early February, according to the New York Times.
The Guardian Council is “the most influential body in Iran,” according to the BBC, and approves any legislation passed by the Iran Parliament. The council comprises six theologians who ensure that new laws are consistent with the constitution and Islamic religious law.
Shortly before the council approved the measure, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expressed his opposition to the bill, saying that it would be “harmful” to restoring diplomatic relations with the U.S. and easing sanctions, the Associated Press reported.
Rouhani told his Cabinet that his administration “does not agree” with the bill and “considers it harmful for the trend of diplomatic activities.”
“Today, we are more powerful in the nuclear field than at any other time,” he said, implying that lawmakers were using the bill to improve their standing with their constituents ahead of June elections.
There is little Rouhani can do to prevent the bill from becoming law. Should he refuse to sign the bill within five business days, the bill will automatically go to the speaker of Parliament to be signed into law.
Only Iran’s leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has the legal authority to stop the measure from being passed. It’s unclear what his position on the bill is, according to Reuters.
Iran has gradually relaxed its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal after President Trump pulled out and imposed a “maximum pressure” campaign of crippling economic sanctions. Biden has said that he would work to reenter the deal and ease sanctions if Iran went back to “strict compliance with the nuclear deal.”
This latest move is largely seen as a retaliation for the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Regarded as the Robert Oppenheimer of Iran, Fakhrizadeh was integral to building Iran’s nuclear program. The assassination has been blamed on Israel, a country that has refused to comment on the incident.
At Fakhrizadeh’s funeral, the Iranian defense minister vowed that the country would continue Fakhrizadeh’s work “with more speed and more power” than ever before.
