Iran Press- Iran/ Ali Akbar Salehi also told the AP in an exclusive interview Tuesday in Tehran that the “consequences will be harsh” if there are any new attacks targeting Iran’s nuclear scientists. Salehi also said President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from the 2015 accord “puts him on the loser’s side” of history. A string of bombings, blamed on Israel, targeted a number of Iranian scientists beginning in 2010 at the height of Western concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme.
He added: “That deal could have paved the way for building the trust and confidence that we had lost.”
Salehi’s comments come after Donald Trump decided to pull the U.S. from the deal in May. The 2015 accord, struck under President Barack Obama’s administration, saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
Earlier in July, Ali Akbar Salehi announced the completion of the factory that manufactures rotors for the new generation of centrifuge machines that enrich uranium.
The rotor-making factory was completed in compliance with Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s order to make preparations for the enrichment of uranium up to a level of 190,000 SWU without any delay, Salehi said.
In the wake of Trump’s decision, some Western companies, but by no means all, have decided to wind down their business activities in Iran. However, a number of European, Russian, Chinese and South Korean companies are still actively doing business in Iran.
Iran’s currency, the Rial, has lost some of its value against the US dollar.
Ali Akbar Salehi added: “I think (Trump) is on the loser’s side because he is pursuing the logic of power. He thinks that he can, you know, continue for some time but certainly I do not think he will benefit from this withdrawal, certainly not.”
Salehi spoke about Iran’s efforts to build a new facility at Natanz’s uranium enrichment center that will produce more advanced centrifuges. Those devices enrich uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas.
Related news: Salehi: "Iran ready to return to pre-nuclear deal era"
Meanwhile, Iran has high capacity to increase enrichment to the industrial level, Spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi said on 26th July 2018.
Iran has a contingency plan to increase the enrichment to the industrial levels in the absence of the JCPOA, he said in reference to the potential sabotage of the deal in the wake of US withdrawal from the international pact and potential return of sanctions.
Related news:
Iran to Resume Enrichment at Fordow : Nuclear Official
For now, the nuclear accord limits Iran to using a limited number of an older model, called IR-1s. The new facility will allow it to build advanced versions called the IR-2M, IR-4 and IR-6, which can enrich uranium much faster.
“If we have to go back and withdraw from the nuclear deal, we certainly do not go back to where we were before,” Salehi said. “We will be standing on a much, much higher position.”
Read more:
Kamalvandi: Iran ready to boost enrichment to industrial level
Gov't spox: Iran's right to uranium enrichment fixed
