“With the actions taken, the Europeans are in fluster and are putting pressure on Trump,” Abolfazl Hassanbeigi, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told Mehr News Agency on Wednesday.
As a third step in Iran's reduction of commitments under the deal, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on Saturday it has activated 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 centrifuges for research and development purposes. The third step comes after the Europeans failed to meet a 60-day deadline to meet Iran’s demands and fulfill their commitments under the deal, officially called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
“And in the not too distant future, if the Europeans fail to secure Iran's interests under the JCPOA, we will firmly take the fourth step in reducing our commitments,” added Hassanbeigi.
“Today, we are making the third step [in reducing commitments to JCPOA] while Iranian scientists managed to build 6th and 8th generation of centrifuges; a capability which America and Europe never thought the Islamic Republic of Iran could achieve.”
The MP went on to say that “Today we are ready for chains of 20 and 40 [centrifuges] to provide 190,000 SWU [Separative Work Units] which the Leader of Islamic Revolution ordered during negotiations. We are ready and capable to supply domestic needs for 20% enriched uranium and beyond in less than a week without the need for any foreign country.”
Upon announcing his withdrawal from the JCPOA, US President Trump called it the "worst deal ever" and pledged to force Iran through sanctions into renegotiating a new agreement that addresses its ballistic missiles and regional influence.
The Trump administration has ever since targeted Iran's industry and oil exports with various sanctions in a bid to cripple its economy. The European side has also failed to deliver on its pledge to save mutual trade by enacting a special payment channel that protects European firms from US sanctions months after unveiling it in January.
Fed up with the foot-dragging, Iran announced the first stage of its countermeasures in May by increasing its enriched uranium stockpile to beyond the 300-kilogram cap set by the agreement.
The Islamic Republic took the second step two months later, when it started to enrich uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA limit of 3.76 percent.
MAH/ 4714157