With talks looming, Iran’s nuclear program is booming

Iran will increase its uranium enrichment levels to 60 percent, just shy of weapons-grade level, nuclear negotiator Seyed Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday. The 2015 nuclear deal only allowed 3.67 percent enrichment, but Iran boosted its levels to 20 percent after the assassination of its lead scientist in January. Araghchi said formal talks in Vienna to restore the nuclear deal would begin Thursday.

What prompted the latest hike? Iran blamed Israel for a Sunday attack on its heavily secured Natanz nuclear plant that destroyed some of its centrifuges. “If they think our hand in the negotiations has been weakened, actually this cowardly act will strengthen our position in the talks,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Monday. Araghchi said he hoped to return to Tehran with a list of lifted sanctions.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Mindy Belz’s in-depth report on Iran’s nuclear program.