European powers call Iran’s enrichment plans 'deeply worrying'
The governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom expressed concerns over Iran's reported plan to install additional centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility.
![Rafael Grossi (R), Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), listens to Iran's Atomic Energy Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi, who attends virtually the 64th General Conference of the IAEA at the agency's headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 21, 2020. (Photo by JOE KLAMAR / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by JOE KLAMAR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Ali Akbar Salehi] instead of [Zarif]. Please immediately rem](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_large/public/almpics/2020/12/GettyImages-1228631637.jpg/GettyImages-1228631637.jpg?h=ab741efc&itok=xzUvegyC "1228631637")
Iran’s planned expansion of its nuclear program is “deeply worrying,” European powers said Monday, warning recent actions by the Islamic Republic could jeopardize shared efforts to salvage the landmark nuclear deal.
The so-called E3 grouping of France, Germany and the United Kingdom denounced a recent announcement from Tehran to the UN’s atomic watchdog that it planned to install hundreds more advanced centrifuges at its underground Natanz nuclear facility.
Since President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2018 and reimposed harsh economic sanctions, Iran has steadily enriched uranium in violation of the agreement. The deal’s other signatories — Russia, China, France, the United Kingdom and the European Union — remain part of the accord and have called on Iran to return to full compliance.
Last week, Iran’s hard-line parliament voted to increase uranium enrichment and ban UN inspectors from accessing Iran's nuclear facilities if sanctions relief is not forthcoming by early February. The legislation, which came in apparent retaliation for a suspected Israeli assassination of one of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, still requires President Hassan Rouhani’s signature to become law.
