Iran’s atomic chief warned this week that the country needs only five days to increase its uranium enrichment to 20%, a level at which the material could be used for a nuclear weapon.
The comments by Ali Akbar Salehi to Iranian state television come as US President Donald Trump repeatedly has threatened to renegotiate or walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal.
As part of the 2015 nuclear deal agreement with P5+1 world powers, Iran has given up most of its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium, and currently caps uranium enrichment at under 5%.
Although Iran’s long standing stance maintains that its nuclear programme is for peaceful purpose, Trump has recently signed a sanctions bill which imposes penalties on those who may be involved in Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
Iran’s President Rouhani said on live state television: “If America wants to go back to the experience (of imposing sanctions), Iran would certainly return in a short time -not a week or a month but within hours – to conditions more advanced than before the start of negotiations”.
Speaking about the 2015 agreement last December in a speech in Bahrain, Prime Minister Theresa May said: “We secured a deal which has neutralised the possibility of Iran acquiring nuclear weapons for over a decade. It has already seen Iran remove 13,000 centrifuges together with associated infrastructure and eliminate its stock of 20% enriched uranium”.
Since the agreement was first signed in July 2015, at least 15 Iranian missile launches are believed to have taken place.
