The Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in a Tuesday speech broadcast live on TV ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to start gas injection into UF6 centrifuges at the Fordow enrichment facility tomorrow under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The new nuclear move came after the 60-day ultimatum given by Iran to the other remaining parties to the nuclear deal to abide by their own obligations ended on Tuesday.
Few hours after President Rouhani’s announcement, Permanent envoy to Vienna-based international organizations, Kazem Gharibabadi said that a letter on the fourth nuclear step has been delivered to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna.
The Iranian envoy said that in the letter, the IAEA’s inspectors have been asked to be present at the Fordow facility at a specific o’clock tomorrow to monitor the process of gas injection.
It is noteworthy that Iran’s fourth 60-day ultimatum to remaining parties to the nuclear deal to live up to their own commitments to the JCPOA ended today while they did not take any practical steps to meet Iran’s demands.
Iran demands European countries make up for its losses after the US withdrawal from the accord and help Iran with its oil sales and banking relations.
Tehran says its countermeasures fit within its rights under paragraphs 26 and 36 of the nuclear deal, and that it will reverse the measures once its demands are met.
As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to a level above the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.
In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent.
Furthermore, Tehran lifted all restrictions on nuclear research and development and announced it would use advanced centrifuges as its third step. Each time Iran gives a 60-day deadline to the other parties before taking its next step.
KI