Tehran is on the verge of violating the Iran nuclear deal with the announcement on Monday that it will exceed its uranium stockpile limit in the next 10 days, raising heightened tensions in the region even further.

Under the terms of the nuclear agreement, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300kg (660lbs) of low-enriched uranium. In a briefing on Monday, Kamalvandi said that given Iran’s recent decision to quadruple its production of low-enriched uranium, it would pass the limit on 27 June.

After exceeding the limit, Iran will accelerate uranium enrichment to 3.7%, Kamalvandi said — above the 3.67% mandated by the nuclear deal. 

Kamalvandi also said Tehran might also start the process of enriching uranium up to 20%, closer to weapons-grade, from 7 July.

In response, a Downing Street spokesperson said at a briefing Monday that if Iran breaches its low-grade uranium stockpile limits, which was agreed under the nuclear pact, then the UK would look at “all options.”
 
French President Emmanuel Macron said that the Iran announcement was regretful, adding that France “encourage(s) them to adopt a patient and responsible behavior.”
 
German government spokesman Steffen Seibert and the European Union’s foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini both said that they expect Iran to live up to its obligations as laid out in the deal.
 
The US was more forthright. A National Security Council spokesman accused Iran of nuclear blackmail.
 
Iran’s warning comes amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington. 
  • Early Thursday, a US Navy drone — a huge, unmanned aircraft — over the Strait of Hormuz was shot down by Iran. The regime insisted the drone violated Iranian airspace but Washington said it had been flying over international waters.
  • The United States made preparations for a military strike against Iran on Thursday night in retaliation to the drone downing, but the operation was abruptly called off with just hours to go.

  • Reports claim the targets would have included radars and missile batteries and that President Donald Trump had approved the strikes but then called them off. 

  • Earlier this week the US announced it is sending about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East 
  • On Wednesday, a US oil giant was among other Western oil refineries targeted in a rocket attack in Iraq.
  • On June 13, two oil tankers, the Japanese Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian Front Altair, were struck by a suspected torpedo, forcing their crews to abandon ship.
Following Iran’s announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to immediately impose sanctions on Iran if it violates the 2015 agreement.
 
“In the case that Iran will carry out its present threats and break the Iran deal, the international community needs to put into action immediately the sanctions mechanism that was planned in advance — what was called the ‘snapback sanctions,'” Netanyahu said while speaking at an official ceremony in Jerusalem.
 
On 8 May 2018, President Trump decided to end US involvement in the Iran Deal due to Iran’s proven lies and violations of the deal’s terms. The flawed deal contained loopholes that allowed Iran to avoid international inspections of their nuclear facilities and openly continue working on intercontinental ballistic missiles while fully funding their international terror campaign.
 
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For more about Iran and the regime’s threat to Israel and the West, see our Operation Mordecai booklet, which you can download or order for free HERE: Click here

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