The American Wall Street Journal said that the recent moves by Iran to increase uranium enrichment are an attempt to increase pressure on Washington and President-elect Joe Biden to return to the nuclear agreement and lift sanctions, according to what European diplomats have confirmed.

Were the Iranians going to a degree that would make the United States' return to the 2015 nuclear deal less likely?

Especially after Tehran took steady steps towards increasing the rate of uranium enrichment, and recently announced the start of work on the production of a major material used in nuclear warheads.

It quoted unidentified Iranian officials that those skeptics about the feasibility of the nuclear agreement inside Iran have gained - since the administration of outgoing President Donald Trump began the campaign of maximum pressure - more influence, as they pressured President Hassan Rouhani to take serious steps that shorten the way to reaching a level that allows the production of nuclear weapons. .

One of those officials stated that "the hardliners wanted to show the Iranian public that they can achieve better results."

Iran is currently storing more than 10 times the amount of low-enriched uranium allowed by the agreement, a level far below the levels before it was signed.

The maximum current stock purity is 4.5%;

But if it were enriched to a purity of 90%, that would be sufficient to manufacture two nuclear weapons, according to experts.

US President-elect Joe Biden has announced that he intends to return to the nuclear agreement signed with Tehran (in addition to Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia) if Iran returns to comply with its requirements.

While Iranian officials assert that their recent moves can be easily reversed if the United States backs down from sanctions, and its increasing stockpiles of enriched uranium can be reduced or shipped abroad, as was the case after the signing of the nuclear agreement.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei also issued a decree banning the development of nuclear weapons.

However, Tehran has systematically moved to increase its ability to develop nuclear weapons since Washington withdrew from the agreement in May 2018.

And last December, the Iranian parliament - after the assassination of the prominent nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, in an attack for which Tehran blamed Israel - passed a law that was enacted despite Rouhani's refusal to sign it calling on the government to take additional steps prohibited under the agreement.

Iranian steps

Iran said last week that it had resumed uranium enrichment to a purity of 20%, and a confidential report from the International Atomic Energy Agency of the United Nations revealed last Wednesday that Iran had taken another major step, which is preparing to start producing uranium metal, which is a main material used in making atomic bombs. Tehran has informed the United Nations inspectors of its moves, confirming that it aims to make fuel for reactors, not nuclear weapons.

Iranian officials say that the recent steps go beyond what the "moderate" President Hassan Rouhani wanted, and some of them are likely to cause 20% enrichment, the production of uranium metal, and the expulsion of the International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, not only threatening any effort to restore the agreement;

It is also about tightening US sanctions.

The hardliners' pressure to intensify Iran's nuclear activities also poses a challenge to Rouhani's allies ahead of the upcoming presidential elections next June, which Rouhani cannot fight after completing his second term.

But some of his allies intend to run for it.

The Wall Street Journal quoted an Iranian government official as saying that Rouhani hoped that a temporary agreement before the elections would lead to returning Iran to full compliance and reducing tensions with the United States and Europe.

The Iranian official stated that the president realizes that further violations of the agreement could undermine this goal, and strengthen hardliners who will find no objection in closing the door to diplomacy with the West.