The stand off between Iran and US has reached its peak, almost similar to a married couple on the verge of a divorce, and a bad one at it. The deadline for US to remove trade sanctions, and sanctions on Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is tomorrow. According to President Rouhani, the country is ready to enrich uranium to weapon-grade levels.
While a furious Tehran is also demanding that the oil tanker being held by Britain at the strait of Gibraltar be released. Iran feels that Britain has captured the vessel in a bidding to the US. US President Trump, who remains adamant on the matter has asked Iran to be “careful with threats” as they can “come back to bite you”
“On July 7, our enrichment level will no longer be 3.67 per cent. We will put aside this commitment. We will increase (the enrichment level) beyond 3.67 per cent to as much as we want, as much as is necessary, as much as we need,” Rouhani told a cabinet meeting recently. Even if the uranium is enriched to 90 per cent, it is reversible, but it is a scary prospective nonetheless. Under the JCPOA, Iran is limited to producing low-enriched uranium of no more than 3.67 per cent.
On June 20, Iran shot down a US surveillance drone that had entered Iranian air space and in retaliation, Donald Trump planned an attack on Iran's surface-to-air missile system, but called it off as the attack would inflict many casualties.
France had warned that Iran would gain nothing by leaving the deal while Iran maintained that it was not violating the deal, at least not yet. Further, Iran has also threatened to close Hormuz strait, the route through which one fifth of the world's oil passes, unless sanctions are lifted. Last week, US had also blamed Iran for an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
With Iran declaring that it is ready to indeed stockpile uranium levels, it seems like a war in the Middle East might just be inevitable. Iran has been asking Germany, France, UK and other European signatories to put pressure on US to remove sanctions. “Our advice to Europe and the United States is to go back to logic and to the negotiating table,” Rouhani said.
According to experts, it could take Iran up to a year to enrich uranium to 90 per cent capacity.