Salehi: Iran is ready to build advanced centrifuges and enrich uranium at higher levels

The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization expressed hope on Tuesday, September 10, that the nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers would remain intact despite the United States' withdrawal from it. Ali Akbar Salehi, in an interview with the Associated Press, also warned that Iran is prepared to build advanced centrifuges and enrich uranium at higher levels. He emphasized that if European countries cannot protect the JCPOA against Donald Trump, the President of the United States, then Iran will make a 'cautious and wise' decision about whether to remain in the agreement. The U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal has had a very negative impact on Iran's economy, causing the Iranian rial to lose up to 140% of its value since then. Meanwhile, the second round of U.S. sanctions will begin on November 4, targeting Iran's oil exports and will be more severe than the current sanctions. Salehi also confirmed the impact of sanctions on Iran's economy, stating, 'Yes, we have our problems. Yes, sanctions have caused some issues for us. But if a nation wants to benefit from its political independence, it must pay the price.' He added, 'If Iran decides today to return to the past when it was a servant of the United States, then the situation would be different.' Islamic Republic officials consider the Pahlavi monarchy to be dependent on Washington and claim that with the fall of the Pahlavi monarchy, independence has returned to the country. Nearly forty years after the Iranian revolution, the leader of the Islamic Republic still calls the United States the great enemy. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected Donald Trump's offer for renegotiating the nuclear deal, stating that negotiations with Washington are forbidden. Salehi mentioned Iran's decision to build new facilities at the Natanz nuclear site, which will enable Iran to produce a new generation of centrifuges that can enrich uranium five to ten times more than the first-generation centrifuges. Western experts say these centrifuges can enrich uranium three to five times more than the initial models. The Associated Press writes that while the construction of new facilities does not violate the nuclear agreement, the large-scale production of advanced centrifuges would mean a breach of it, although Salehi states that Iran has no immediate plans in this regard. Ali Akbar Salehi stated, 'This does not mean that we are currently producing these centrifuges. We are simply ready to do so. And if Iran ultimately decides to produce a large number of these centrifuges, we are prepared to do that.' He added that one of Iran's actions could be to enrich uranium to twenty percent to meet its needs. The potential exit of Iran from the JCPOA will depend on the approval of Ayatollah Khamenei. Meanwhile, the International Atomic Energy Agency has assured in its reports that Iran has adhered to the nuclear agreement so far.