Iran to exceed uranium stockpile limit

Iran said on Monday that within 10 days it will exceed the uranium stockpile limit set under the 2015 nuclear deal, unless European signatories step in. “We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kilogram limit,” said Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization. The increased levels are also “based on the country’s needs,” he added. Iran had threatened to implement additional measures contrary to the deal if Europe failed to provide better terms by July 7. The nuclear pact started to fall apart last year after President Donald Trump withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions on the country.

Relations between the two nations remain tense after the United States accused Iran of orchestrating attacks Thursday on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday said the Trump administration does not want a war with Iran but will employ every measure, including diplomacy, to ensure the safety of the vital shipping passages.