Khamenei Says Iran Can Enrich Uranium Up To 60% Purity If Needed

Iran’s 2015 six-power nuclear deal, which it has been in breach of since the United States withdrew in 2018, limits the fissile purity at which Iran can refine uranium to 3.67%, well below the 20% achieved before. of the agreement and well below 90%. suitable for a nuclear weapon.

“Iran’s uranium enrichment level will not be limited to 20%. We will increase it to whatever level the country needs … We can increase it to 60%,” Khamenei quoted the TV as saying, upping the ante on a stalemate. with Washington about the future of the agreement.

“The Americans and the European parties to the agreement have used unfair language against Iran … Iran will not give in to pressure. Our stance will not change,” Khamenei said.

He reiterated a denial that Iran would ever seek to build nuclear weapons.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Washington would aim to strengthen and extend the 2015 pact, which was aimed at limiting Iran’s enrichment potential, a possible path to atomic bombs, in exchange for the lifting of most of the sanctions.

Iran and the United States have disagreed over who should take the first step to revive the deal.

Although under internal pressure to ease economic hardships aggravated by the sanctions, Iranian leaders insist Washington must end the economic pressure campaign first to restore the deal, while Washington says Tehran must first return to compliance.

Khamenei added that the Islamic Republic had never persecuted the construction or use of nuclear weapons, as this was prohibited by their religion.

“If we wanted …, no one could stop Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons …, (but) Iran is not looking for nuclear weapons,” he said.

Blinken, addressing the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva, said in a prerecorded speech: “The United States remains committed to ensuring that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. Diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal.”

Biden has said that if Iran were to “strictly comply” with the 2015 pact again, his administration would do the same, according to Blinken.

“Working with allies and partners, we will also seek to extend and strengthen the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or nuclear deal) and address other areas of concern, including the destabilizing regional behavior of Iran and the development and proliferation of ballistic missiles,” he said. Blinken. .