‘Countdown has begun’: Iran to exceed uranium stockpile limit set by nuclear deal in 10 days

Tehran will increase uranium production beyond the limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal by June 27, a spokesperson for the nation’s atomic energy agency, Behrouz Kamalvandi, said on Monday.

Iran has “already increased” uranium production at a nuclear research site in Natanz in the central Isfahan province, Kamalvandi told reporters at a heavy water nuclear complex in Arak.

From today, the countdown has begun, and by June 27, our uranium production will have surpassed 300kg

The move is set to place the nation’s nuclear program beyond the limits laid out in the 2015 deal, known as the JCPOA, under which Iran’s uranium stockpile could not exceed 300kg until 2031.

Last month, Tehran announced that it would partially suspend its commitments under the JCPOA, giving the European Union 60 days to reaffirm their part of the agreement. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Kamalvandi lambasted the EU, saying that they “either do not want to do something, or they just don’t have the ability to do it,” but stressed that “Europeans still have time” to save the deal.

The JCPOA began to fall apart last year when the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement. President Donald Trump called the deal “defective at its core,” and accused Tehran of secretly violating its provisions. Iranian officials denied any wrongdoing. Their position was backed by nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which affirmed in its reports that Iran was implementing its part of the agreement.

Trump’s move was heavily criticized by the EU, Russia and China, all of which are signatories of the deal.

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