Ayatollah Khamenei orders Iran’s atomic organization to speed up enrichment work

Tabnak – As future is still uncertain for the Iran Nuclear Deal after the US withdrawal, Iran’s supreme leader has ordered the country’s atomic energy organization to be prepared for speeding up the work on Uranium enrichment. He has also reiterated Iran’s resolve to continue developing its defense capabilities.

According to a Press TV report, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) to make preparations for enrichment of uranium up to a level of 190,000SWU without any delay.

Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a ceremony held at the Imam Khomeini Mausoleum in south Tehran to commemorate the 29th anniversary of the passing away of the founder of the Islamic Republic while talking about Iran's nuclear deal with the P5+1 group of countries, which is officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

“It seems from what they say that some European governments expect the Iranian nation to both put up with sanctions and give up its nuclear activities and continue to observe limitations [on its nuclear program]. I tell those governments that this bad dream will never come true,” the Leader said.

Stressing that the Iranian nation and government cannot tolerate to be both sanctioned and be put in the “nuclear custody,” Ayatollah Khamenei ordered the AEOI to take rapid steps to make preparations for starting uranium enrichment “up to a level of 190,000SWU for the time being within the framework of the JCPOA” and take other preliminary steps that the president has ordered from tomorrow.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader stated that all measures taken by enemies against the Islamic Republic were the result of their desperation and confusion in the face of the Islamic establishment.

Enemy’s measures against the Islamic Republic show how desperate they are in their face-off with Iran rather than being a sign of their power, Ayatollah Khamenei said. The Leader added that the measures taken by enemies of the Iranian nation may slow down the forward march of the nation, but cannot stop its progress.

Ayatollah Khamenei stated that one of the psychological measures taken by enemies against the Iranian nation is to turn its strengths into challenges in order to strip the nation of those strengths.

The Leader added that when Iran needed enriched uranium for medical purposes, enemies put all kinds of obstacles in the way of the nation to prevent it from achieving nuclear technology. However, the Leader said, Iranian youths managed to master this technology despite enemies’ efforts.

US President Donald Trump announced on May 8 that Washington was walking away from the nuclear agreement, which was reached between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Britain, France, Russia and China - plus Germany.

Trump also said he would reinstate US nuclear sanctions on Iran and impose "the highest level" of economic bans on the Islamic Republic.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.