An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman made it clear that if the understandings were not reached that would lead to the lifting of sanctions on his country, Tehran would continue to develop its nuclear program while violating it.
Iranian nuclear reactor in Bushhar city // Photo: Reuters
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Said Khatibazda today (Monday) threatened that his country would increase the scope of the breach of the nuclear deal if the United States and Europe did not return to negotiations over the agreement and lift sanctions on Tehran.
"Parliament has passed a law requiring Iran to continue to develop its nuclear program. We are committed to the law and cannot ignore it," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said, adding that his country intends to continue to allow oversight by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
"We are interested in stopping the special oversight of our nuclear facilities but that does not mean we will stop all oversight of the Atomic Energy Agency. Iran remains committed to peaceful nuclear development and is not interested in nuclear weapons," Khatibazadeh was quoted as saying by Tassan.
Despite declarations of nuclear development for peaceful purposes, Iran has recently begun serial production of uranium metal, a critical material for the production of nuclear weapons and with only limited civilian uses.
The Atomic Energy Agency announced last week that Iran had admitted that it was producing the material but Tehran claimed it was intended for fuel rods for an experimental research reactor in Tehran.
Iran has been enriching uranium in recent months to a level of over 20 percent, a level that allows, under certain conditions, military use of the fissile material, although in order to efficiently produce an atomic bomb requires an enrichment of over 90 percent.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken claimed last month that Iran was three to four months away from being able to detonate a nuclear bomb.
A study by the Israeli defense establishment confirmed this.
