Iran exceeds 300 kg cap in uranium enrichment

Iran now has over 300 kilograms of 3.67 percent enriched uranium, a source close to the country's uranium enrichment projects said, Trend reports via Fars News Agency.

Last week, when inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) checked Iran's enriched uranium reserves, the total amount was under 300 kilograms. However, this week, the IAEA inspectors verified that the 300 kilograms cap has been exceeded.

On June 17, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said that the country had quadrupled the rate of enrichment and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it would bypass the 300 kilograms limit.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+ 1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) was in place since January 2016. The US announced its withdrawal from a nuclear deal on May 8, 2018, and imposed sanctions against Iran in November 2018.

JCPOA European members created INSTEX financial mechanism in January 2019 to protect the agreement and maintain trade relations with Iran.

However, Iran stated that it would stop its obligations within JCPOA on May 8, because the JCPOA European members failed to fulfill their obligations.

Iran suspended the fulfillment of its commitment to sell the uranium that day and said that it would stop the fulfillment of its commitment related to the uranium enrichment (by 3.67 percent) after 60 days if the European side do take any steps.