Higher uranium enrichment aims to push West to lift sanctions - Iran's nuclear chief

Eslami made the comments in an interview with Iran’s Ettelaat newspaper, which was published in its June 10 edition in Tehran, IRNA reports.

He said that the Islamic Republic is making steps within the framework of its national goals, and its activities remain under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In addition, he added, Iran remains committed to the Non-Proliferation Treaty, the NPT, as well as the Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.

However, Eslami noted, the Islamic Republic’s move to enrich uranium at a 60-per cent purity level is aimed at the removal of the anti-Iran sanctions.

He added that the move has been taken by the Strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Iranian Nation's Interests. That’s a law the Iranian Parliament approved in December 2020 as part of measures in response to the sanctions the United States imposed following its withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“They refused to implement the JCPOA, which they had signed and withdrew from it. They even did not allow others to work with the Islamic Republic. When we faced such a behaviour, Majlis (the Iranian Parliament) ratified a law to convince them to lift the sanctions,” the official explained.

He was referring to the 2018 US pullout from the JCPOA and its pressure on the remaining Western parties to the deal to not compensate for Washington’s withdrawal.  

His remarks came a day after Iran's UN mission dismissed reports about reaching an "interim deal" with the US to curb its nuclear enrichment in exchange for sanctions relief.

Tehran and Washington have since April 2021 been engaged in indirect talks to revive the 2015 deal. However, the process has been stalled in August last year.