Iran has amped up its uranium enrichment on the day of its deadline to negotiate the Iran nuclear deal with signatories, surpassing the cap set under the Obama-era agreement that President Donald Trump has withdrawn from, The Associated Press reported.
“Within hours, the technical tasks will be done and enrichment above 3.67 percent will begin,” Iran spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told the AP. “We predict that the IAEA measurements early tomorrow morning will show that we have gone beyond 3.67 percent.”
The move is intended to give Iran leverage in talks with European countries interested in maintaining the deal, but getting around the U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran will prove difficult for EU countries.
The U.S. sanctions block Iran oil sales and target its top officials, but Iran says it can reduce its uranium enrichment if Europeans can offer sanctions relief.
The IAEA said it was aware of Iran’s comments and “inspectors in Iran will report to our headquarters as soon as they verify the announced development.”
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