Iran ‘playing with fire’ after nuclear boost says Trump

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — US President Donald Trump said Iran was “playing with fire” on Monday after its Foreign Minister Javad Zarif revealed the Islamic Republic is surpassing limits of production of enriched uranium restricted by the nuclear deal, with Zarif responding that they “have not violated the JCPOA.”

"No, no message to Iran. They know what they're doing. They know what they're playing with and I think they're playing with fire. So no message to Iran whatsoever," Trump told reporters in the White House on Monday.

With Vice President Mike Pence at his side, Trump wouldn’t elaborate further; however, the White House later released a statement indicating the administration will continue its campaign targeting perceived malign Iranian actors.

“Maximum pressure on the Iranian regime will continue until its leaders alter their course of action. The regime must end its nuclear ambitions and its malign behavior,” the White House stated. 

It reiterated that the 2015 nuclear deal was a “mistake” because it allowed Iran “to enrich uranium at any level … There is little doubt that even before the deal’s existence, Iran was violating its terms.”

While it was Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on Monday who confirmed reports in Tehran that they had crossed the 300-kilogram threshold of enriched 3.67-percent uranium, the Islamic Republic has not offered any proof.

Zarif took issue with the White House statement, simply tweeting: “Seriously?” in response to Iran being in violation of the terms of the nuclear deal prior to its existence. 

However the world’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), acknowledged that Iran has exceeded the 300 kilogram limit.

“We can confirm that IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has informed the Board of Governors that the Agency verified on 1 July that Iran’s total enriched uranium stockpile exceeded,” an IAEA spokesperson said in a statement sent to its member states obtained by Reuters.

Zarif also encouraged other cosigners of the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), to uphold their end.

“We gave E3+2 a few weeks while reserving our right. We finally took action after 60 weeks. As soon as E3 abide by their obligations, we’ll reverse it,” Zarif said.

The E3+2 refers to the United Kingdom, Germany and France plus Russia and China.

“We have NOT violated the #JCPOA,” he added.

Leaders in Europe encouraged Iran to restrain from taking actions which could weaken the deal. 

Foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini’s spokesperson told reporters that the European Union is urging Iran “to reverse this step and to refrain from further measures that undermine the nuclear deal.”

Europe “remains fully committed to the agreement as long as Iran continues to fully implement its nuclear commitments,” added spokesperson Maja Kocijancic. 

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed that breaching the uranium limit would not reap Iran “economic benefits.”

British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt also cautioned Tehran against violating the accord.

“We want to preserve that deal because we don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons but if Iran breaks that deal then we are out of it as well,” he told Sky News on Monday. 

Iran’s move was the brashest reaction since the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement last year. Washington has re-imposed pre-2015 sanctions against Tehran and aggressively targeted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its leadership, and trade and petroleum sectors.