Iran Says No Uranium Enrichment Beyond 60%, Even If Talks Fail
Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization.
Iran's nuclear chief says even if talks to revive the 2015 deal fail and sanctions remain, Tehran will not exceed the 60 percent limit on uranium enrichment.
In an interview with the Russian news agency Sputnik on Saturday, Mohammad Eslami said that Iran does not intend to enrich uranium to higher levels no matter the results of negotiations aimed at salvaging the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
"All our nuclear activities are carried out according to the agreements, statutes and regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency", the AEOI chief stressed.
The JCPOA banned Iran from enriching uranium beyond 3.65 percent, but Tehran argues that because the US left the agreement and imposed sanctions, it is not bound by the limitation.
Tehran says it has increased its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium to 25 kilograms, potentially complicating efforts to revive the nuclear deal with world powers.
"So far we have produced 25 kilograms of 60% uranium, which, except for countries with nuclear weapons, no other country is able to produce," AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi announced early in November.
The next round of Vienna talks to bring Iran and the US back to the deal is scheduled for Monday after seven rounds with no tangible results.
Western powers have expressed grave concern over the acceleration of uranium enrichment closer to weapons grade, saying Iran has "no credible civilian need for enrichment at this level".
Hardline media in Iran accuse the three European participants in the Vienna nuclear talks, particularly France, of working against Iran and preventing an agreement.
IRGC-linked news agency Fars said in a January 24 report that "Europe's destructive measures against an agreement between Iran and world powers is no less than what the United States has been doing to disrupt the talks."
Meanwhile, Farhikhtegan newspaper affiliated with the hardliner-dominated Islamic Azad University, charged in a December 24 report that the three European states including France, Germany and the United Kingdom (the E-3) have been furthering a "destructive policy" since the start of the new round of the Vienna Talks.
The daily said that the objective of the E-3 has been getting more and more concessions from Iran as far as nuclear issues and sanction-related matters are concerned. The daily further charged that the E-3 diplomats have been trying to convince the media that Iranian negotiators lacked a serious will to reach an agreement.
Iran returned to talks with world powers in Vienna on November 29, after it stopped negotiations in June when hardliner Ebrahim Raisi won the presidential vote. After the long delay, Tehran came to talks with new demands which upset the West. The E-3 began issuing warning to Iran to adopt a serious negotiating posture.
Farhikhtegan opined that an agreement leading to peace in the region might deprive France of the benefit of arms sale in the Middle East. Farhikhtegan further claimed that some European states that have been annoyed by France's positions have threatened to start talks with Iran separately. There have been no such reports as both Britain and Germany have also warned Iran, while other European countries are not involved in the matter.
Meanwhile, Fars quoted hardline commentator Vahid Karimi as having said that France's approach is even more destructive than the United States. He said, "As soon as the United States softens its stances, France comes forward and tries to sabotage the talks." He also added that the UK which is no longer part of the EU, is taking advantage of the situation to blackmail the other two European states. He did not offer any evidence or explain how The UK was “blackmailing” France and Germany.
Karimi claimed that the United States no longer attaches importance to Israel's position about the Iranian nuclear issue, and France has replaced Israel as the country that is doing whatever it can to make the talks futile.
In another report, Fars quoted hardline international relations expert Mostafa Khoshchashm as having said that France is playing a dual role in the talks and tries to get concessions from both Iran and other European states.
Khoshchashm agreed with other hardliners that France has replaced Israel by playing the part of the bad cop in the nuclear talks with the Islamic Republic.
Khoshchashm said that now the Western side faces two choices: Leaving the talks and turning their back to diplomacy, which would show they are not interested in the negotiators, or returning to the negotiations while accepting Iran's terms.
Khshchashm also expressed appreciation for "Russia and China's wholehearted support for Iran both in the talks and in the public arena.
In line with Tehran’s efforts to imply that nuclear talks are progressing well, the state-run news agency IRNA says 80 percent of Iran’s demands are included in a draft.
IRNA claimed Friday that according to a “European official”, during the last two rounds of talks between Iran and the P4+1 in Vienna, the Iranian negotiating team submitted new written proposals, about 80 percent of which have been considered in an existing draft.
The negotiations “are very difficult,” but as far as they show progress, we can hope that the outcome will be mutually satisfactory, IRNA quoted the official as saying.
In a joint press conference with visiting Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Tehran on Thursday, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said, “During the recent negotiations in Vienna, we managed to come up with a single draft and a single agenda after two rounds of talks and this was a major progress.”
Talks to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume on Monday [December 27], two parties to the talks announced on Thursday.
The negotiations between Iran, three European countries, Russia and China, which have been underway since April in Vienna have so far not resulted in substantial progress.
Talks to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume on Monday [December 27], two parties to the talks announced on Thursday.
"Usually it isn’t popular to engage in serious business b/w the Catholic Christmas and the New Year," Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia's top envoy to the talks, tweeted on Thursday.
"In this particular case this is an indication that all negotiators don’t want to waist [waste] time and aim at speediest restoration of #JCPOA," he added, using the acronym for the deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Talks between Iran, three European countries, Russia and China, which have been underway since April in Vienna have so far not resulted in substantial progress.
The United States that left the JCPOA in 2018 participates in the talks indirectly, with the mediation of its European allies.
The European Union's foreign service said the meeting would be attended by representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, Britain and Iran.
"Participants will continue the discussions on the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA and how to ensure the full and effective implementation of the agreement by all sides," the External Action Service's statement said.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Israeli counterpart discussed the threat posed by Iran's nuclear program and other "destabilizing" activities in the region, the White House said Wednesday.
During a visit to Israel, Sullivan updated Israeli national security adviser Eyal Hulata on nuclear negotiations in Vienna as they discussed issues of "vital strategic importance" to both countries, a White House statement said.
"The delegations discussed the need to confront all aspects of the threat posed by Iran, including its nuclear program, destabilising activities in the region, and support for terrorist proxy groups," it said.
"They agreed that Iran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program poses a grave threat to the region and to international peace and security."
It added: "The officials affirmed that the United States and Israel are aligned in their determination to ensure that Iran never gets a nuclear weapon."
Sullivan also met Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and they discussed the Iranian threat. Sullivan said he had been sent to Israel by President Joe Biden "because at a critical juncture for both our countries on a major set of security issues, it's important that we sit together and develop a common strategy, a common outlook".
The incoming commander of the Israeli air force Wednesday said that if need be, Israel can successfully destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities “tomorrow.”
Major General Tomer Bar, who is slated to take the helm in April, said in an interview with Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth that he is probably the officer who will need to command the strike against Iran's nuclear program if the ongoing talks in Vienna between Tehran and world powers fail.
"I have to assume it will happen in my time, and my shoulders already understand the weight of the responsibility," said the former fighter pilot, who currently commands the Force Design Directorate.
He said that despite reports on Israel’s lack of readiness or other factors hindering a possible strike on Iran, he is certain that it can complete the mission successfully. “There is no way that…I will return home without being able to say “I completed the mission”, he stressed.
"From the moment I sat here at the head of the Force Design Directorate, and the chief of staff spoke with me, the mission of the 'third circle' (Iran) was there… We are not starting from zero. We equipped ourselves with F-35s, we procured thousands of Iron Dome interceptors for multi-layer defense," Bar added.
The third circle, whose primary focus is Iran, refers to the three levels of direct threats facing Israel, the first being small terror groups on Israeli borders, like Hamas; the second being larger threats, like the Syrian army and Hezbollah; and the third being countries that do not share a border with Israel, like Iran and Iraq.
Bar said he believes that as soon as Israel strikes Iran, the next war with Hezbollah will break out. “I have to assume that he [Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah] will automatically be all in. Thirty years he has waited for this order and there is no way that he will not be there and with the highest intensity. We have to be prepared for this".
He noted that the next war with Lebanon will definitely involve a ground operation, but it will not be comparable to the previous wars. In 2006, Israel waged a ground and air war against Hezbollah with limited success, but critics said ground force level committed was limited.
"This is not raising the volume on the same radio. The familiarity with Hezbollah, the number of targets, the strength built over the years in matters of intelligence and attack capability, electronic warfare, cyber, make it something else entirely. I can stand by my word,” Bar said, adding that Hezbollah cannot imagine Israel’s power.
"Maybe they will try to bring in special forces or shoot at the home front, but we are no longer on this scale. We want a clear victory this time, in a shorter time and with fewer losses," the commander said.
Earlier in the day, visiting US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett discussed Iran and the ongoing nuclear talks, stressing the need for a joint strategy. Sullivan said he had been sent to Israel by President Joe Biden "because at a critical juncture for both our countries on a major set of security issues, it's important that we sit together and develop a common strategy, a common outlook".
A senior Iranian commander said on Monday that Israel does not have the ability to strike Iran’s nuclear or military bases without US approval, and repeated threats to attack Israel, as the Revolutionary Guard launched large-scale air and naval drills in the Persian Gulf.
"If Israel carries out attacks against Iran, our armed forces will immediately attack all centers, bases, routes, and spaces used to carry out the aggression," Iranian commander Gholamali Rashid said.
Following weeks of reports of Israeli preparations for attacking Iran's nuclear installations, the Tehran Times published an article -- headlined "Just One Wrong Move"– with a map of purported missile targets in Israel on its front page.
Israel has long threatened military action against Iran, and recently reportedly allocated $1.5 billion for an attack if Iran gets dangerously close to obtaining a nuclear weapon.
