Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on Monday announced the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium will exceed 300 kilograms by June 27, Tehran Times reported.
AEOI spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi declared: “Starting today, the countdown has started and it means that by [June 27] the production of enriched uranium will exceed the 300 kilograms.”
He added: “We will go further from that ceiling, not only that but we will also increase production drastically. After we pass the limit of 300 kilograms, the pace and the speed of enriched uranium production at the lower rate will also increase.”
According to Tehran Times, Iran’s decision to partially remove limits on nuclear production was reached exactly one year after President Donald Trump’s May 8, 2018 withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a.k.a. the Iran nuclear deal, and reimposing sanctions on Iran.
On Saturday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country cannot remain unilaterally committed to the nuclear deal. Rouhani ignored the fact that China, Russia, France, Germany, the UK and the European Union are still committed to the JCPOA.
On May 8, Rouhani issued an ultimatum against those remaining signatories, saying they had 60 days to implement their promises to protect Iran’s oil and banking sectors from the US sanctions.
Mehr news on Monday quoted chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s Nuclear Committee, Mojtaba Zonnour, who announced Iran is considering leaving the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) if the JCPOA signatories fail to protect Iran from American sanctions.