Iran has begun injecting gas into advanced centrifuges to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, an official has announced, warning that time is running out for other signatories to save a multilateral 2015 nuclear deal.
In the meantime negotiations are still underway between France and Iran about a loan of some $ 15 billion, in order to truy to svae the nuclear deal (see below)
Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, said on Saturday the agency had started up advanced centrifuges at Iran's enrichment facility in Natanz as the third step by Tehran in scaling back its commitments under the crumbling pact following the United States' unilateral withdrawal last year.
"We have started lifting limitations on our
research and development imposed by the deal ... it will include
development of more rapid and advanced centrifuges," Kamalvandi said.
"The capacity of these machines is many times more than the previous
machines. This started as of yesterday (Friday)," he continued, adding
that "all these steps are reversible if the other side fulfils its promises".In two separate moves already, Iran reduced its commitments outlined in the crumbling deal and vowed further measures unless the European signatories of the pact did more to shield Tehran's economy.
The deal - agreed on by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US as well as the European Union - offered Tehran relief from many international sanctions in exchange for accepting curbs on its nuclear programme.
Since US President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal last year and reimposed crippling sanctions, Iran has maintained that it wants to save the pact but has demanded the remaining signatories - especially the Europeans - provide additional economic support.
"As far as the other side does not implement their commitments, they should not expect Iran to fulfil its commitments," Kamalvandi said, adding that Iran had the ability to go beyond 20 percent enrichment of uranium.
According to analysts, 20 percent is just a short technical step away from 90 percent enrichment, which is weapons-grade level.
France
A senior Iranian delegation arrived in
Paris on Monday to work out the details of a financial bailout package
that France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, intends to use to compensate
Iran for oil sales lost to American sanctions. In return for the money,
Iran would agree to return to compliance with a 2015 nuclear accord.
Iranian
press reports and a senior American official say that the core of the
package is a $15 billion letter of credit that would allow Iran to
receive hard currency, at a time when most of the cash it makes from
selling oil is frozen in banks around the world. That would account for
about half the revenue Iran normally would expect to earn from oil
exports in a year.
Mr. Macron’s
government has declined to provide any details of its negotiations with
the Iranians, though it was the subject of discussion between the French
president and President Trump at the Group of 7 summit last weekend.
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