Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

UK, France & Germany criticize Iran’s uranium enrichment despite nuclear deal falling apart due to US withdrawal & sanctions

UK, France & Germany criticize Iran’s uranium enrichment despite nuclear deal falling apart due to US withdrawal & sanctions

London, Berlin and Paris have once again expressed their concerns over Iran’s continued uranium enrichment to ever higher levels. Such action would make a return to the nuclear deal “more difficult,” the three nations say.
Iran’s actions amount to a “serious breach” of Tehran’s obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, the nations said in a joint statement published on Thursday.

The damning statement came two days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) informed its member states that Iran was now using two cascades at its enrichment plant at Natanz to enrich uranium up to 60% purity.

In April, Iran announced for the first time it would enrich uranium to the 60% level. The announcement came after an alleged Israeli attack on its Natanz nuclear facility. At that time, only one cascade of centrifuges was used for such purposes.

In July, Tehran told the IAEA it was enriching uranium metal to 20% at its Tehran Research Reactor. At that time, Iran said this enrichment was needed for “peaceful, medicinal and humanitarian uses.”

Now, the UK, France and Germany argue that enrichment to both 20% and 60% levels of purity are “crucial steps in the development of a nuclear weapon,” adding that “Iran has no credible civilian need for these measures.”

The three nations also said they were concerned by the fact that Tehran limited the IAEA’s capability to inspect its nuclear facilities in comparison to the powers granted to the agency under the JCPOA. London, Berlin and Paris demanded Tehran cease all activities that violate the deal “immediately.”

Iran has repeatedly brushed off such demands from the Western nations, pointing to the fact that it was they who never fulfilled their own obligations under the deal. In July, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh accused the three nations of caving in to US pressure instead of defending the agreement.

Iran began breaching the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal after then-US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 and reintroduced US sanctions against Iran. He also later slapped the country with additional sanctions.

Tehran then repeatedly stated it was ready to return to the deal as soon as the US sanctions are lifted. So far, Iran has continued to enrich uranium to levels vastly surpassing the agreed 3.67% level.

In July, Iran’s then-President Hassan Rouhani said that the authorities deemed it necessary to enrich uranium to 90% purity as they were exploring the possibilities of a national nuclear program, no longer bound by the 2015 deal’s constraints.

The 90% figure quoted by Rouhani is considered the minimum benchmark for the production of nuclear weapons.

London, Paris and Berlin have described the situation as particularly worrying, since the talks in Vienna, which were designed to make all sides – including the US and Iran – return to the deal, have been halted for months “at Tehran’s request” and Iran has so far not agreed to any date for their resumption. Tehran’s actions amid the stalled negotiations make a potential revival of the deal increasingly more difficult, the Thursday statement said.

On Tuesday, Khatibzadeh once again stated that Iran is ready to fulfill its commitments and stop what Iran calls “compensatory measures,” but no sooner than other parties do the same.“If the other parties return to their obligations under the nuclear accord and Washington fully and verifiably lifts its unilateral and illegal sanctions... all of Iran's mitigation and countermeasures will be reversible,” he said.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
×