Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Iran on Monday after it said it had begun to boost uranium enrichment in the underground facility at Fordo, saying it "cannot be explained in any way other than the continuation of realizing its goal to develop a military nuclear program."
"Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon," he added.
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Tehran has long maintained its nuclear program is peaceful, but Israel has dismissed that claim. The US State Department says that as late as last year, it "continued to assess that Iran is not currently engaged in key activities associated with the design and development of a nuclear weapon."
Iran's move, which will see uranium being enriched to 20% purity, comes after its parliament passed a bill, later approved by a constitutional watchdog, aimed at hiking enrichment to pressure Europe into providing sanctions relief. It also serves as pressure ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Joe Biden, who has said he is willing to re-enter the nuclear deal.
Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency last week that it planned to take the step. The IAEA said Monday that "agency inspectors have been monitoring activities" at Fordo and that its director-general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, planned to issue a report to member nations of the organization later in the day.
The announcement of enrichment at Fordo came as fears rose that Tehran had seized a South Korean tanker, the MT Hankuk Chemi. Iran later acknowledged the seizure, alleging the vessel's "oil pollution" sparked the move. However, hours earlier, Tehran said a South Korean diplomat was expected to visit in the coming days to negotiate the release of billions of dollars in its assets now frozen in Seoul.
The dual incidents come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States in the waning days of President Donald Trump's term in office. During Trump's tenure, the US leader unilaterally withdrew from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and set off months of tense episodes that increasingly strained relations between the countries.
Iran's decision to begin enriching to 20% purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities. A resumption of 20% enrichment could see that brinksmanship return as that level of purity is only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
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