Iran Blames G7 for Statement Against Intensification of Its Nuclear Program

Nasser Kanani, the spokesperson for Iran's Foreign Ministry, referred to the G7 statement condemning Iran's recent escalation of its nuclear program and urged the group to distance itself from "destructive past policies." The G7, or Group of Seven, is an informal assembly with annual meetings consisting of seven industrialized countries: the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. On Friday, the G7 warned Iran against advancing its nuclear enrichment program and stated that if Tehran sends ballistic missiles to Russia, it should be prepared for new measures against itself. Mr. Kanani stated on Sunday, June 17, that some countries resort to "baseless claims" to continue sanctions against Iran, saying, "Any attempt to link the Ukraine war to the bilateral cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia is purely a politically motivated action." Last week, the Board of Governors, consisting of 35 nuclear monitoring countries of the United Nations, passed a resolution urging Iran to increase its cooperation with the organization and lift its recent restrictions on inspectors. However, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran responded to this request by rapidly installing uranium enrichment centrifuges at the Fordow site and began to activate other centrifuges. The European Troika stated that Iran is "hollowing out" the JCPOA with its recent actions. Nasser Kanani added that Tehran will continue its "constructive engagement and technical cooperation" with the Agency but called the resolution of this body "politically motivated." According to the IAEA's standards, Iran is currently enriching uranium to a purity of 60%, which is close to the 90% required for nuclear weapon production. With further enrichment, the Islamic Republic would possess enough enriched material for three atomic bombs. Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state in the world that enriches uranium to 60%. The U.S. and European members of the JCPOA state that this action by the Islamic Republic has no civilian justification. On Saturday, June 17, the UK, France, and Germany issued a joint statement declaring that Iran is "hollowing out" the JCPOA with its recent actions. This statement, a version of which was published on the UK Foreign Office's website, adds that Iran, by utilizing dozens of additional advanced centrifuges at the Natanz enrichment site and announcing its readiness to install thousands of other centrifuges at the Fordow and Natanz sites, has taken further steps towards hollowing out the JCPOA.