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Tehran’s step on uranium enrichment predictable - Russia’s envoy

Iran announced that it resumes enrichment of uranium to 20%

MOSCOW, January 4. /TASS/. Tehran’s decision to resume enrichment of uranium to 20% has been predictable but could be reversible, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter on Monday.

"Iran announced that it resumes enrichment of uranium to 20%. This isn’t breaking news. This step was predictable in the light of the law passed by the Iranian Parliament. The main point is that it remains reversible within possible normalization of the situation around JCPOA," the tweet says.

The future of the Iran nuclear deal was called in question after the United States’ unilateral pullout in 2018. In 2019, Tehran began to gradually scale down its commitments under the deal. On January 5, 2020, Iran announced the final phase of this process. On January 1, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi notified the IAEA Board of Governors and the United Nations Security Council of Tehran’s intention to start enriching uranium to 20%. On January 4, Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said Tehran started the up to 20% enrichment process at the Fordow site.