Iran may raise uranium enrichment

TEHRAN, May 08 (BBC): Iran has suspended commitments under the 2015 international nuclear deal, a year after it was abandoned by the US.

President Hassan Rouhani said he would keep enriched uranium stocks in the country rather than sell them abroad.

He also threatened to resume production of uranium enriched to a higher level in 60 days.

The accord was aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief. Iran-US tensions have risen since Washington quit.

Iran's economy has since been hit by renewed US sanctions.

Iran informed the remaining parties to the deal - France, Germany, Russia, China and the UK - of its decision on Wednesday morning.

Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Iran was acting within its rights under the deal and it was up to the three European powers to act.

In response, French Defence Minister Florence Parly told French media that the European powers were doing everything they could to keep the deal alive but there would be consequences and possibly sanctions if the deal was not adhered to.

China and Russia both blamed Washington's withdrawal from the deal for the current situation.

Under the deal Iran is required to sell its surplus enriched uranium abroad, rather than keep it.

This is important as the material, which is a by-product of Iran's civilian nuclear power generation, can be used in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

By selling it abroad, Iran can continue to generate nuclear power and the parties to the agreement can be sure it is not building nuclear weapons.

Iran's announcement comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unscheduled visit to Iraq, and a US aircraft carrier was deployed to the Gulf region.

US officials have reported threats to US forces and their allies from Iran, but have given few details about the exact nature of the threat.

Mr Rouhani said he was suspending two parts of the deal, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that Iran was adhering to - the sale of surplus enriched uranium and heavy water.

He then gave the European powers, Russia and China 60 days to meet their financial and oil commitments to the deal. If they did so, Iran would resume the sales.

If, however, those commitments were not met and the powers chose to follow US sanctions, he said Iran would begin higher enrichment of uranium, which is currently capped, and begin developing its Arak heavy water reactor based on plans made prior to the deal.

But the Iranian president said Iran was not pulling out of the deal.

"We do not want to leave the agreement. All the people of the world should know that today is not the end of the JCPOA; it is a new step within the framework of the JCPOA," he said.

However, he said the five powers would face a "very decisive reaction" if Iran's nuclear case was referred to the United Nations Security Council.

Iran is seeking to strike a difficult balance: pushing back against some of the restrictions imposed by the JCPOA, while not doing so much as to withdraw from it altogether.

This is an alarm signal but also a warning. Iran is facing growing pain from re-imposed US sanctions.

It wants the Europeans to take urgent practical steps to provide some relief. And if relief does not come, then Iran may well have to re-consider its overall adherence to the JCPOA - which the US abandoned a year ago.

This presents the Europeans with a huge dilemma. They are caught between the Iranians and the Trump administration. Can they continue to back the agreement if Iran is not fully complying with its terms?