Iran is now enriching more uranium than before the 2015 deal with major world powers to curb its nuclear program, placing the broken agreement in further jeopardy, claimed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a speech.
“We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached ... Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress,” Rouhani said on Thursday in a televised speech, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the official name for the 2015 deal brokered by the Obama administration. He did not elaborate on how much more uranium is being enriched.
The deal was signed by the United States, Russia, China, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom in a group known as the P5 + 1 after several years’ worth of negotiations. President Donald Trump has long been a critic of the agreement and directed the United States to withdraw in 2018, while noting that the reduction in sanctions included in the deal has allowed Tehran to pursue its military aspirations in the Middle East.Over the past five years, Iran has gradually scaled back on its commitments, and in early January, Tehran announced it would no longer abide by its limits after the United States carried out an airstrike that killed Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani. The Islamic regime has repeatedly breached the terms of the deal over the years.
