US Joint Chiefs of Staff's warning to Iran
General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, warned the Islamic Republic of Iran about its resumption of uranium enrichment. He said the US has decided not to take military action at this time, but has the capability to do so.
In response to the Islamic Republic of Iran's announcement that it had resumed uranium enrichment at the Fordow nuclear facility as part of the fourth phase of reducing its commitments under the JCPOA, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview with ABC on Sunday, November 10: "We have no hesitation in diplomatic efforts, and yet, at the same time, we will ensure that we maintain sufficient military capabilities in the region to defend American interests if necessary."
Since the United States unilaterally withdrew from the international nuclear agreement with Iran in May 2018, tensions in relations between the two countries have increased increasingly.
Iran shot down a US surveillance drone in June. The US also believes Iran was responsible for an attack on oil facilities in Saudi Arabia in mid-September.
Now, after more than four years, Iran has resumed uranium enrichment. The Islamic Republic has resumed uranium enrichment at the underground Fordow facility. The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran officially announced on November 7 the start of the uranium enrichment process at the underground Fordow facility. This is despite the fact that ending uranium enrichment at the Fordow nuclear facility is one of the main axes of the 2015 nuclear deal.
The nuclear deal had envisaged that Fordow would become a nuclear technology research center and that enrichment would cease at the facility. Gassing the centrifuges at the facility would effectively mean Fordow would become an active nuclear site.
The resumption of uranium enrichment at the Fordow nuclear facility is one of the measures in the fourth phase of reducing Iran's commitments under the JCPOA. This comes at a time when Russia, the European Union, and the three European signatories to the nuclear deal have called on Iran to adhere to its JCPOA commitments.
"Continuation of work depends on Iran's behavior"
General Milley, while addressing the issue of rising tensions, said: "Our government has decided not to take military action at this time, but we have the capability to do so."
He noted that the United States has moved new military forces to the region in the past month. Milley said that further action would depend on the scale and nature of the provocations by Iran and the extent to which it threatens American troops, U.S. interests or its allies in the region.
The US government is trying to use its "maximum pressure" policy to provoke Iran into new negotiations on a nuclear agreement with stricter restrictions.
US sanctions, especially on Iranian oil sales, have caused a severe economic crisis in the country.
Source: DW
