Draft for 60% Enrichment Prepared in Parliament, 'If Sanctions Continue'

As negotiations between Iran and the U.S. continue in Geneva, a member of Iran's National Security Commission announced that 205 representatives have prepared a draft for 60% uranium enrichment in Iran, should U.S. sanctions persist. Mohammad Hassan Asafari, in an interview with the state news agency IRNA on Saturday, January 27, stated that if what he calls 'excessive demands' and U.S. sanctions continue, this draft will be presented to the parliament's leadership. He clarified: '205 members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly have signed an urgent proposal that allows the government to enrich uranium to 60% for submarine fuel and industrial purposes if the West, especially the U.S., does not cease its excessive demands and continues sanctions.' According to Mr. Asafari, the signatures for this proposal have been collected for a month. The level of uranium enrichment by Iran is a primary point of contention between the Islamic Republic and global powers in nuclear negotiations. French President Francois Hollande had previously mentioned four conditions for Paris's support of a nuclear agreement with the Islamic Republic, including halting 20% uranium enrichment, international control over all Iranian nuclear facilities, reducing enriched uranium reserves, and stopping the Arak heavy water facility. High-level uranium enrichment could lead to the development of nuclear weapons, but the Islamic Republic insists it has no such intention. Ali Larijani, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, stated on Thursday, January 25, that 'some parliament members are pursuing a proposal that if the West takes new steps regarding sanctions, Iran will continue nuclear technology at any level of enrichment.' In the new U.S. Congress, the majority is held by Republican representatives who favor stricter sanctions against Iran. However, the U.S. government has announced that it opposes this congressional decision and will not cooperate. Marzieh Afkham, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated on Wednesday, January 24, that the Americans have shown their 'commitment' to maintaining the negotiation path 'under current conditions.' These comments come as some parliament members have deemed the U.S. and Western countries unreliable in recent days. Ismail Kowsari, a member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, said on Saturday: 'We cannot trust the West; they have not shown honesty in negotiations and decision-making.' He added: 'If the 1+5 wants to make excessive demands in negotiations, we will certainly compel the government to continue 20% uranium enrichment.' Concurrently with these statements from parliament members, Iran's nuclear negotiating team, led by Abbas Araqchi, Deputy Foreign Minister, resumed talks with the U.S. team headed by Wendy Sherman in Geneva on Saturday morning. The Iranian negotiators have been engaged in intensive discussions with the U.S. negotiating team since Thursday. Discussions between the Iranian and U.S. teams will continue today, and tomorrow, deputy foreign ministers from other 1+5 countries will join them in Geneva for a final meeting. On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif held three meetings with his U.S. counterpart John Kerry in Geneva. According to the state news agency IRNA, it is likely that the foreign ministers of Iran and the U.S. will negotiate again in the coming weeks.