CURRENT DOCTRINE “INSUFFICIENT”
Iran insists on its right to nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but according to the IAEA, it is the only non-nuclear-weapon state enriching uranium to 60 per cent.
In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, published on the eve of Iran’s talks with Britain, France and Germany, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that frustration in Tehran over unmet commitments, such as lifting sanctions, was fuelling debate over whether the country should alter its nuclear policy.
“We have no intention to go further than 60 per cent for the time being, and this is our determination right now,” he told the British daily.
But, he added, “there is this debate going on in Iran, and mostly among the elites … whether we should change our nuclear doctrine” as so far it has proven to be “insufficient in practice”.
A 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers aimed to give Iran relief from crippling Western sanctions in exchange for limiting its nuclear programme to prevent it from developing a weapons capability.
Tehran has consistently denied any such ambition. Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final authority in Iran’s decision-making, has issued a religious decree, or fatwa, prohibiting atomic weapons.
Tehran’s willingness to sit down with the three European governments so soon after the censure comes just weeks before Trump is set to return to the White House.
During his first term, Trump focused on reimposing heavy sanctions on Iran following his administration’s unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 deal three years after it was agreed.
In retaliation for the US withdrawal, Tehran reduced its compliance with the deal, raising its uranium enrichment levels to 60 per cent – closer to the 90 per cent required for a nuclear bomb.
