European powers condemn Iran’s recent nuclear attempt

BERLIN (AP) – Germany, France and Great Britain express “serious concerns” about another step by Iran, which they say represents a serious breach of its obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement with the world powers, and warn that this is the case The result of the sought-after talks puts the United States in danger of being included in the agreement again.

The foreign ministers of the three European powers issued a joint statement on Tuesday on a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN nuclear regulatory agency, in which they “confirm that Iran has taken steps to produce enriched uranium metal”.

Since then-President Donald Trump’s exit from the deal in 2018, Iran has gradually breached its restrictions in order to put pressure on the remaining parties – the three European nations, Russia and China – to create economic incentives to the crippling to offset American sanctions.

Among other things, Tehran has started to enrich uranium significantly above the purity permitted in the agreement. It has also turned advanced centrifuges, produced uranium metal, and stored more uranium than allowed.

Uranium metal can also be used to make an atomic bomb, and research into its manufacture is expressly prohibited under the nuclear agreement. The IAEA announced in February that its inspectors had confirmed that Iran had started producing uranium metal.

European foreign ministers said of Tehran’s latest move that “Iran has no credible civilian need for uranium metal (research and development) and production, which is an important step in the development of a nuclear weapon”.

They said it was “all the more worrying” as no date has been set for the resumption of negotiations in Vienna aimed at getting the US back into the nuclear deal and Iran again fully compliant, and that Iran is “severely restricting” the IAEA have access.

“We have repeatedly emphasized that there is no time for anyone,” the statement said. “With its latest steps, Iran threatens a successful conclusion of the Vienna talks despite the progress made in six negotiating rounds so far.”

The 2015 agreement aims to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies looking for such an arsenal.

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