Uranium Enrichment Not Halted Even for a Day

The head of the follow-up committee on the nuclear deal said Iran has never stopped the enrichment of uranium even for a single day.

During a meeting with provincial officials in Qom on Tuesday, Abbas Araqchi, a deputy foreign minister, added that Iran will restore its nuclear activities to the pre-JCPOA level if other parties refrain from honoring their commitments, Press TV reported. Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China—plus Germany started implementing the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, on January 16, 2016. They had concluded the landmark agreement in July 2015. 

Under the agreement, Iran agreed to to curb its nuclear energy program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions. 

"Not only was Iran's nuclear program not halted by JCPOA, but it also continued on its path with more discipline and strength," said Araqchi.

He hailed the Iranian people for their resistance against economic pressures resulting from the sanctions, which forced the enemy to enter into negotiations with Tehran.

"Not one person in the Islamic Republic permitted a sector in the country to become crippled. These sanctions increased Iran's strengths to a level that the enemy was forced to the negotiations table to find a solution," he said.

Referring to reports concerning an Iranian ballistic missile test, Araqchi stressed that providing security is Iran's top priority and that Tehran does not need a permission to do so.

The new US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, on Tuesday commented on the reports saying, "We are not going to stand by. You are ... going to see us act accordingly." 

Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the world body, said the UN Security Council recommended that the reports be studied on a committee level.

Haley said missile tests by Iran are "absolutely unacceptable", asserting that Tehran is "playing nice" but she "will tell the people across the world that is something we should be alarmed about".

Iran's Foreign Ministry said conducting missile tests is the inalienable right of Iran for defending itself. 

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also warned the US against politicizing Tehran's legitimate efforts at bolstering its defense capabilities.