Dubai | Iran announced it had amassed more low-enriched uranium than permitted under its 2015 deal with major powers, its first major step beyond the terms the deal since the United States pulled out of it more than a year ago.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who announced the move, said it nevertheless did not amount to a violation of the accord, arguing that Iran was exercising its right to respond to the US walkout.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who announced the move, said it nevertheless did not amount to a violation of the accord, arguing that Iran was exercising its right to respond to the US walkout.
The step, however, could have far-reaching consequences for diplomacy at a time when European countries are trying to pull the United States and Iran back from the brink of war. It comes less than two weeks after US President Donald Trump ordered air strikes on Iran, only to cancel them minutes before impact.
European powers, who remain party to the accord and have tried to keep it in place, urged Iran not to take further steps that would violate it. But they held off on declaring the agreement void or announcing sanctions of their own.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which monitors Iran’s nuclear programme under the deal, confirmed in Vienna that Tehran had breached the limit.