Iran: Only 5 Days Needed To Ramp up Uranium Enrichment To 20% If US Quits Nuke Deal
Local Editor
Iran needs only five days to ramp up its uranium enrichment to 20%, a level at which the material could be used for a nuclear weapon, the Islamic Republic's atomic chief Ali Akbar Salehi warned.
Salehi's comments to Iranian state television on Tuesday came after US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to renegotiate or walk away from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Along with recent comments by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Salehi warnings showed the country's willingness to push back against Trump while still acknowledging they want to keep the deal, which lifted crippling economic sanctions on the country.
"If there is a plan for a reaction and a challenge, we will definitely surprise them," said Salehi, who also serves as one of President Hassan Rouhani's vice presidents.
"If we make the determination, we are able to resume 20%-enrichment in at most five days."
He added: "Definitely, we are not interested in such a thing happening. We have not achieved the deal easily to let it go easily. We are committed to the deal and we are loyal to it."
Iran gave up the majority of its stockpile of 20%-enriched uranium as part of the nuclear deal it struck with world powers, including Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.
The accord, which lifted sanctions on Iran, currently caps the Islamic Republic uranium enrichment at 5%.
While Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, uranium enriched to 20%t and above can be used in nuclear bombs.
Iran processed its stockpile of near 20% uranium into a lower enrichment, turned some into fuel plates to power a research reactor and shipped the rest to Russia as part of the deal.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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