Israel informed the United States of Iran’s preparations to enrich uranium to weapons levels

On Monday, the Axios portal said that the Israeli authorities have informed the United States and other allies that Iran is preparing to enrich uranium to a level of 90 percent, that is, to allow it to be used in nuclear weapons. Talks about the Iranian program resumed Monday in Vienna.

According to the portal, which cited American sources, Israel provided intelligence information to Washington that suggested that the Tehran regime had taken technical steps that would enable it to enrich uranium to a rate of up to 90 percent. in a matter of weeks. In the spring, Iran enriched a portion of its uranium to 60%.

The Israeli agencies aim to assess that these measures are aimed at strengthening its negotiating position during talks on the possible return of the nuclear agreement with Iran, which resumed on Monday in Vienna after a five-month hiatus. All signatories to the 2015 JCPOA agreement are participating in the talks, although negotiations between the United States and Iran are taking place only indirectly.

Deputy Secretary of State Galina Porter on Monday declined to comment on the revelations at the site, but said if true, it would be a “very provocative” move.

“All I can say is that we have made clear to Iran that these repeated escalations are not constructive. They also run counter to their stated goal of returning to mutual compliance with the JCPOA and will not give Iran any advantage in the negotiations,” Porter said. He added that European and Russian negotiators are optimistic about the prospects for the talks.

President Biden and Secretary of State Anthony Blinken had earlier warned Tehran that while they favored a diplomatic solution to the conflict, if diplomacy failed, they were willing to opt for other measures – including military measures – to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

The 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action between Tehran and world powers, stipulated that Iran would not enrich uranium to a level above 3.67%, and instead had international economic sanctions against the country lifted.

The goal of the agreement was to curb Iran’s nuclear program and prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its nuclear program does not serve military purposes.

US President Donald Trump imposed new economic sanctions on Iran in 2018, which led to Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran. The next president, Joe Biden, announced his desire to return to the treaty with Iran.

From Washington, Oscar Gorzinski