Pompeo urges other countries to join sanctions against Iran

Pompeo cited the International Atomic Energy Agency report in his tweet. Five days ago – Friday, September 4 – the agency provided its quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear activities to the members of the Board of Governors.

According to the JCPOA, Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium should not exceed 203 kilograms. However, a recent report by the IAEA stated that Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium has reached more than 2,300 kilograms, which is more than ten times the limit allowed in the nuclear deal. This agreement was signed in Vienna in 2015 between representatives of the Islamic Republic and six world powers (the United States, Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom, and Germany).

The US withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 and subsequently reimposed sanctions on Iran that had been lifted or suspended. These sanctions have been increasingly tightened over the past two years and four months. The aim is to exert maximum pressure on Iran to bring it to the negotiating table and reach a comprehensive agreement.

Unlike the United States, Russia and China, as well as Germany, France, and the United Kingdom, have announced that they will remain committed to the JCPOA and have called on Iran to return to its commitments under the JCPOA.

The Islamic Republic also reduced its JCPOA commitments in five stages after the US withdrawal, including adherence to the ceiling set for enriched uranium and heavy water stocks.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, has also confirmed that activity in the production of advanced centrifuges has expanded and the amount of enriched uranium has increased. Kamalvandi confirmed the production of more than 130 tons of heavy water.

According to Kamalvandi, the production of enriched uranium has increased within the framework of Iran's reduction of its JCPOA commitments, and Iran has currently achieved more than three tons of enriched uranium. Kamalvandi also said that the Islamic Republic produces 250 to 300 kilograms of enriched uranium per month, which is equal to the uranium production capacity before the nuclear deal.

Agency experts visit two suspicious Iranian sites

Relations between Iran and the Agency have been tense in recent months, the most important reason being Tehran's refusal to allow inspections of two "suspicious sites."

These two sites, one between Shahreza and Abadeh and the other near Tehran, are believed to have been used by the Islamic Republic for undeclared nuclear activities.

Apparently, with increasing pressure on Tehran, negotiations were held regarding visiting these two sites, which resulted in reaching an agreement during a two-day visit by Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the Agency, and his accompanying delegation to Tehran on the 4th and 5th of September.

In light of the International Atomic Energy Agency report and the confirmation by the Islamic Republic of Iran of increased uranium enrichment, American officials have accused the Islamic Republic of violating its obligations under the JCPOA nuclear agreement. In this regard, the United States has called for the activation of the “trigger mechanism” and the reinstatement of international sanctions against Iran.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo expressed confidence on August 27 that international sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, which were lifted or suspended in accordance with the nuclear deal, will be reimposed at midnight on September 20.

Officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not yet responded to Pompeo's latest statements about increasing enrichment and the European Troika and other countries joining the sanctions.