Iran can take Uranium enrichment to 90% level, Iranian President

Tehran – Hassan Rouhani, Iran’s outgoing President, said, ‘The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization is currently enriching Uranium to levels between 20% to 60%. But in the near future, if required, Iran can take the same enrichment to 90 percent.’ It is claimed that the Iranian President has delivered a message that Iran has reached very close to the nuclear bomb. In this period, reports are coming in that Iran has stalled the talks going on in Vienna for the nuclear deal.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Iran, President Rouhani announced 90% Uranium enrichment. He also criticised the Western countries for their anti-Iran activities. Western nations have sought to shut down Iran’s Fordow nuclear plant. But at the moment, the nuclear project is operating faster, claimed President Rouhani. Rouhani warned that since Iran is not bound to the 2015 nuclear deal, it is considering various possibilities to acquire nuclear technology.

Iran’s outgoing President also mentioned regarding the ongoing talks in Vienna with the United States and the European Union. It is claimed that Rouhani issued a warning to the Biden administration, ‘Western countries had six months to settle on this nuclear deal. But they have missed the opportunity. Henceforth, President-elect Ebrahim Raisi will take the decisions in the matter’. But, according to media reports in the country, President Rouhani criticised Iran’s religious leadership for delaying the nuclear deal while making claims about its nuclear program.

Rouhani accused religious leaders and extremists, outside the government, of opposing the early revival of the 2015 nuclear deal. Although refraining from naming directly, there are indications that outgoing President Rouhani is targeting Iran’s supreme religious leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Even in the past, it had been revealed there were sharp differences between the extremist Khamenei and the reformist Rouhani over the nuclear deal and other issues. Iran’s future President, Raisi, is believed to be a trusted deputy of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Therefore, by announcing Uranium enrichment, Rouhani seems to have warned the western countries to be cautious of Raisi.

Under the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran was required to limit its Uranium enrichment to 3.67%. But since withdrawing from the nuclear deal, Iran has increased its enrichment to 60%. At the same time, the number of centrifuges has been expanded beyond limits. Israeli and Western analysts are claiming that the progress of the Iranian nuclear program is alarming and that Iran is taking steps toward building a nuclear bomb. In this scenario, the information shared by President Rouhani regarding the Iranian nuclear program becomes extremely sensitive.