US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Iran's reduction of its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, or an increase in enrichment to 20%, constitutes a dangerous escalation that brings it closer to possessing a nuclear weapon.
He added that if the Iranian regime seeks to ease sanctions, it must prove that it is serious about changing its behavior, stopping nuclear blackmail, and negotiating a comprehensive deal that includes the ballistic missile program and Iran's role in the region, as he put it.
Pompeo condemned the law passed by the Iranian Shura Council and Guardian Council on uranium enrichment, and said it was the latest tricks of the regime to use the nuclear program to terrorize the international community.
He indicated that Iran has not provided any reliable technical justification to justify its need to move quickly to enrich uranium at this level for peaceful purposes.
Pompeo made clear that Iran's failure to comply must be matched by continued diplomatic and political pressure and the isolation of the regime.
This week, Iran renewed its refusal to negotiate the nuclear agreement, and Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said that the negotiations are over, and that Tehran will not negotiate again, calling on all parties participating in the agreement to return to implement their obligations in accordance with its provisions.
New legislation
The Iranian parliament approved a law restricting the movement of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and suspending the work of the "additional protocol", in an escalating step in response to the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated about two weeks ago near Tehran.
The draft resolution includes 9 items, including a request for the Iranian government to backtrack on some of its obligations in the nuclear deal, and to cancel the additional protocol to the agreement if it does not achieve Iran's interests, and European countries do not fulfill their obligations.
Last Monday, France, Britain and Germany criticized the Iranian law, and Iran’s announcement of its intention to install additional and advanced centrifuges for enriching uranium at the "Natanz" facility, considering that this plan violates the 2015 agreement concluded between Tehran and Western countries.
On the other hand, US Central Command Commander Kenneth McKenzie said - earlier - that the leadership is monitoring Iran's threats, and that it is not in Tehran's interest to directly or indirectly attack American targets.
As for the commander of the naval forces of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Admiral Ali Reza Tengsiri, he said that his country stands firmly in the face of the US forces' interference in the Gulf waters.
Tengsiri added that Iran will face any targeting of the security and stability of the region by the enemies, as he put it.
On Thursday, two American B-52 bombers flew over the Gulf sky, and the US Central Command announced that the mission is a message to those it described as potential adversaries, and that it comes to confirm the US military’s commitment to protecting its regional partners, and Washington’s ability to rapidly deploy combat force. Anywhere in the world.