Iranian supreme leader’s aide suggests pursuing 90% enrichment
In a letter to Iran’s supreme leader, the hard-line former chief negotiator reportedly proposed ramping up enrichment to 90%.
Hard-line Iranian politician Saeed Jalili, who led his country’s nuclear negotiations with world powers from 2007 to 2013, has reportedly called for uranium enrichment at a 90% purity rate in Iran’s nuclear program.
In a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the former chief negotiator is said to have expressed unease with the trajectory of the talks over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which are taking place in Vienna.
Jalili’s letter has yet to be made public, but details were released Feb. 1 by an “informed source” interviewed by Reformist daily Shargh.
The UN nuclear watchdog confirmed in September that Iran’s enrichment has been pushed to the 60% level, a significant departure from the JCPOA, which placed a 3.67% constraint on Tehran’s enrichment activities.
