On Sunday, Iran responded aggressively to Israel’s assassination on Friday of its top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

The Iranian parliament passed legislation designed to blackmail Europe and threaten the incoming Biden administration with Iran’s near-term rush to a nuclear weapons capability. Indicating Tehran’s desire to avoid precipitating Trump administration military action, however, the legislation gives Iran’s nuclear energy agency two months, or a timeline reaching past Jan. 20, 2021, to enact the mandated actions. Still, what’s on the table is highly significant. The parliament says that Tehran’s nuclear agency must enrich uranium to a concentration level of 20%, produce at least 500 kg of enriched material per month, and restrict international inspector access. It also requires further deviations from the 2015 nuclear accord if Europe does not restore full economic engagement with Tehran within three months.