Iran says it has exceeded the uranium enrichment limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal
Iran has announced it has enriched uranium past the limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal.
A spokesperson for the country's atomic energy agency on Monday said that Iran has gone past the 3.67 percent enrichment limit and is now above 4.5 percent, The New York Times reports. This is not close to the 90 percent that would be required to produce nuclear weapons, The Washington Post notes, but Iran's spokesperson says the country now has "no limitations or obstacles" if it wanted to go as high as 20 percent.
This came after an aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said over the weekend that Iran was prepared to breach this limit as it seeks new terms from European countries and after President Trump imposed sanctions on the country.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Trump, who withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, on Sunday responded to news that Iran was prepared to exceed this enrichment limit, saying per CNN, "Iran better be careful. Because you enrich for one reason and I won't tell you what the reason is. But it's no good. They better be careful."
Making sense of the week's political news, delivered every Wednesday
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.