MOSCOW, July 8. /TASS/. Iran has exceeded the uranium enrichment level of 4.5% on Monday, Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

"Today, Iran has exceeded the uranium [enrichment level] of 4.5%. The purity level is enough to meet the country’s needs for fuel for our power stations," he said.

Kamalvandi added that the "International Atomic Energy Agency will analyze the selected samples and announce the exact uranium enrichment level."

Earlier on Monday, the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization spokesman said that Tehran had increased its uranium enrichment above the 3.67% limit set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear program.

In addition, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported on Monday that the country’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had sent a message to High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, which contained details of the second phase of Iran’s activities to reduce its commitments under the JCPOA. However, the news agency did not provide any details.

Iran nuclear deal issue

In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China - and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.

On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He said that old sanctions on Iran would be restored and new ones would be introduced in case Tehran attempted to pursue its nuclear ambitions. The first batch of new US sanctions on Iran took effect on August 7 and the second one became effective on November 5. In contrast, Great Britain, Germany and France called on other participants in the deal to continue fulfilling it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would seek to maintain the agreement.

On May 8, 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that Tehran was reducing its commitments under the JCPOA. He pointed out that the other signatories, primarily EU countries, had failed to fulfill their economic obligations under the deal, making it irrelevant. Rouhani said they had two months to return to compliance. The deadline expired on July 7.