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Iran announced on Monday it would boost uranium enrichment, moving it to a target goal of 20%, well above the 3.67% cap placed under the multinational agreement during the Obama administration. President Donald Trump walked away from the agreement in 2018.
According to Iranian media outlet IRNA, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that Iran has started the pre-processing stage of gas injection at its Fordow nuclear site, adding that the first UF6 enriched uranium would be produced later in the day.
Iran agreed to the uranium enrichment limits in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with the United States, Russia, China, France, Russia, Britain, and Germany. While the other countries have remained part of the deal, Iran has chipped away at its restrictions since the Trump administration’s departure. Before the announcement, Iran was enriching its uranium stockpile up to about 4.5%, just above the agreement’s 3.67% cap. Even at 20%, it is well below 90% for it to be considered weapons-grade. Iran has long denied its nuclear program was meant to make weapons.
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