TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran said on Wednesday it was launching sophisticated centrifuges that would increase its stockpile of enriched uranium, in a further reduction of its obligations under the nuclear deal, of concern to the international community. While the United States said it was "not surprised" by Tehran's decision, London considered the Iranian decision "very disappointing."

"We are beginning to lift restrictions on research and development under the agreement," Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalundi told a televised news conference. "This will include faster and more sophisticated centrifuges."

At the same time, Tehran has stressed that it will continue to allow UN inspectors to disclose its nuclear program, ahead of a visit to Iran by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Cornell Verota.

A spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (IAEA) detailed the measures of the new phase of the plan to reduce the commitments made by Iran under the international agreement on its nuclear file reached in 2015 in Vienna.

This is the third stage of the strategy adopted by Iran since May in response to the US decision to withdraw unilaterally from the agreement.

Kamalundi told reporters that 20 IR-4 centrifuges and 20 IR-6 centrifuges had been operated on Friday, while the deal allows Iran to enrich uranium only through first-generation IR machines. -1 ».

The fourth- and sixth-generation centrifuges "will contribute to increasing the stockpile of enriched uranium as well as their use for research and development," the spokesman said.

Kamalundi pointed out that «the power of these devices many times more energy» centrifuges old.

But Kamalundi, in turn, stressed Iran's adherence to the same level of "transparency" about its activities.

"In terms of IAEA monitoring and access, the commitments will be honored as before," Kamalundi said.

Kamalundi said on Saturday that Iran does not intend at the present time to enrich by more than 4.5%. .

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper of Paris commented on the Iranian decision at a joint press conference with French Defense Minister Florence Barley.

The US defense secretary said the United States was "not surprised" by Iran's announcement that it planned to use advanced centrifuges for faster uranium enrichment.

"I was not surprised that Iran announced that it would violate the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (the 2015 nuclear deal)," Esber told a news conference in Paris.

"It is no surprise that the Iranians will follow what they used to always follow," he said at a news conference with his French counterpart Florence Barley.

Barley said his country would do all it could for the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers in Vienna, which the United States withdrew last year, unilaterally.

"We can only emphasize our goal: to bring Iran back to the Vienna agreement," Barley said. We will continue to push in this direction. ”

For its part, London considered Iran's decision to operate advanced centrifuges to increase its stockpile of enriched uranium "very disappointing."

The British Foreign Office said in a statement that "this development" which violates the commitments in the agreement is very disappointing, as we seek with our European and international partners to defuse the crisis with Iran.

Under the Vienna agreement, Iran agreed to submit to the most stringent monitoring regime applied by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) so far, which is a key element of the agreement between Iran and the six countries (the United States, China, France, Britain, Russia and Germany).

The new devices are supposed to accelerate the production of enriched uranium, and to increase Iran's stockpile, which has exceeded the 300 kg limit stipulated in the Vienna agreement.

The deal is in danger of collapsing since America withdrew in May 2018.

Following its withdrawal, Washington gradually reimposed economic sanctions against Tehran, pursuant to a policy of "extreme pressure" aimed at forcing Tehran to renegotiate an agreement that, according to US President Donald Trump, offers better guarantees.

The US sanctions prevent Iran from reaping the expected economic benefits from the agreement, which provided for the lifting of some of the international sanctions that have been isolating Iran for years, in order to significantly reduce its nuclear program, to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Tehran, which has consistently denied pursuing a nuclear bomb by cutting its obligations, intends to get other parties to the deal to help it bypass US sanctions, particularly those banned by its oil exports.

Since May, Tehran has increased its stockpile of enriched uranium above the maximum limit stipulated in the agreement, and has resumed enrichment by 4.5%, which is higher than the maximum imposed (3.67%), but well below the threshold for military uses.

Iranian official:

• «Able to enrich uranium by more than 20%».