An Iranian nuclear negotiator says Tehran will begin enriching uranium to 60% purity after an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility, higher than the program ever has before.
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Abbas Araghchi, who is the deputy foreign minister of the Islamic republic, made the comment Tuesday in Vienna. He was quoted by the state-run IRNA news agency.
Iran had been enriching up to 20%. That is a short technical step to weapons-grade levels.
The International Atomic Energy Agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Press TV, the Iranian state television's English-language arm, separately said that the IAEA had been informed of the move. It said the enrichment would begin as of Wednesday.
The broadcaster also quoted the negotiator as saying Iran would introduce another 1,000 centrifuges at Natanz, without elaborating.
The announcement comes just as Iranian and negotiators meet in Vienna to discuss the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for Iran, known as the nuclear deal from 2015. Iran has increasingly violated the deal in recent years as a mean of prssuring the US to rejoin it. The talks in Vienna are expected to include indirect discussion between US and Iranian officials on the terms under which both sides would resume implementing their commitments, with Iran insisting that Washington lift all the sancitons that had been reimposed by the Trump administration when it pulled out of the deal.
Iran has blamed Israel for trying to sabotage its enrichment facility in Natanz this week, and vowed to retaliate on Israeli soil. On Tuesday Iran said it would install thousands of more centrifuges at the damaged site.
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