Iran announced on Monday that the country's enriched uranium stockpile has passed the 300-kilogram (660-pound) limit prescribed by the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed the news shortly after the state media declared that Iran had exceeded the relevant limit of 300 kg of uranium hexafluoride (UF6), but Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran's steps to decrease its commitments to the nuclear deal were "reversible".
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that its inspectors were verifying whether Iran had accumulated more enriched uranium than allowed.
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"Our inspectors are on the ground and they will report to headquarters as soon as the LEU (low-enriched uranium) stockpile has been verified," a spokesman for the agency said.
Enriching uranium to a low level of 3.6% fissile material is the first step in a process that could eventually allow Iran to amass enough highly-enriched uranium to build a nuclear warhead.
Iran has vowed to begin enriching its stockpile of uranium to higher levels later this month if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for the nuclear accord following the US decision to withdraw from the agreement and restore crippling sanctions.
European countries have repeatedly urged Iran to abide by the deal and have tried to find a mechanism to help it deal with the sanctions, but Iran has said this is not enough.
Although the announcement on Monday is in breach of the 2015 agreement, the real question is whether Iran will enrich uranium at a higher purity and thus resume its military nuclear program.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has recently warned that Iran will take such a step unless European nations take concrete steps to bypass US sanctions and end Tehran's isolation by July 7. Moving forward with that threat would most likely trigger a severe response from the United States.
The unraveling of the landmark nuclear agreement comes amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf, where Iranian forces shot down a US drone last month.
