Iran Announces Formal Resumption of 20% Uranium Enrichment

"The president had in recent days ordered the implementation of the Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions law. Accordingly, the gas injection process started a few hours ago, and the first UF6 enriched uranium product will be achieved within a few hours,” Ali Rabiee said on Monday morning.

He said the whole process started after preliminary measures including informing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and submitting the Design Information Questionnaire based on the country's Safeguards commitments.

Rabiee said the government has clearly declared its view of the law passed by the Parliament, but it is duty-bound to implement the law.

In comments on Friday, Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said Tehran had notified the IAEA of its decision about boosting enrichment activities in compliance with a parliamentary bill.

Last month, the Iranian parliament approved a law, dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions, which requires the government to scale back more obligations under the JCPOA.

It also requires the AEOI to produce at least 120 kilograms of 20-percent enriched uranium annually and store it inside the country within two months after the adoption of the law.

The law further urges the AEOI to start the installation, gas injection, enrichment and storage of nuclear materials up to an appropriate enrichment degree within a period of three months using at least 1,000 IR-2m centrifuges, Press TV reported.

Tehran has expressed its readiness to reverse the suspension of its commitments only if the US returns to the nuclear deal and lifts all sanctions without any preconditions or if the European co-signatories manage to protect business ties with Iran against Washington’s sanctions as part of their contractual obligations.