President Hassan Rouhani has rejected the “concerns” of the Europeans and the United States about Iran’s recent decision to start enriching uranium to 60-percent purity, saying the two sides have a false perception of Tehran’s latest remedial step away from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Speaking on Thursday, Rouhani rejected claims that Iran’s new enrichment level could be a step towards weapons-grade uranium and stressed the importance of the diplomatic efforts underway in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major world powers.
“It does not matter to us when the enemy will return to reason and show humility before the law, but we are sure that for the United States and the countries that are participants in the JCPOA, there is no way other than to fully return to [UN Security Council] Resolution 2231 and the JCPOA. If they do so, we will immediately return to all our own commitments under the JCPOA after verification,” he said, referring to the nuclear agreement by the acronym of its official name, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
“Therefore, the concerns raised by the US and Europe … and the perception that the 60% enrichment means moving towards 90%, is not true; It is wrong to think that we are paving the way for the production of atomic bombs,” he added.