Rouhani: Iran's nuclear enrichment at higher level than before 2015 deal
"We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached ... Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress," the Iranian president said.
By REUTERSIranian President Hassan Rouhani October 1, 2019. (photo credit: SPUTNIK/ALEXEI DRUZHININ/KREMLIN VIA REUTERS)
DUBAI - Iran is now enriching more uranium than Tehran did before it agreed to a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Thursday in a televised speech."We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached ... Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress," Rouhani said.The pact, or JCPOA, was agreed in 2015 between Tehran and world powers. US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed stringent US sanctions on Iran, telling Tehran he wanted a new broader deal on nuclear and other issues.Iran has gradually scaled back its commitments under the nuclear deal in retaliation to Washington's withdrawal from the pact in 2018 and its reimposition of sanctions that have crippled the country's economy.On Wednesday, Rouhani dismissed the proposal for a new "Trump deal" aimed at resolving a nuclear row, saying it was a "strange" offer and criticizing the US president for always breaking promises.In a televised speech, the president told Washington to return to the 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and world powers, adding that Iran could reverse its moves to scale back its commitments under the pact.He criticized European parties to the deal that have triggered a nuclear agreement dispute mechanism, saying they had failed to fulfill their commitments. Tehran has repeatedly refused to negotiate a new deal while US sanctions are in place.
