Iranian President Hassan Rouhani boasted Thursday that his country’s nuclear program is now enriching more uranium now than it did prior to signing the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, better known as the Iranian nuclear deal.
Speaking on Iranian state television, Rouhani touted the expansion of his country’s nuclear program, though he failed to provide details regarding the increase in uranium enrichment.
"Our daily enrichment is today more than before signing the agreement," Rouhani said.
Rouhani also condemned the three European nations – France, Germany, and Britain – which triggered on Tuesday an enforcement mechanism of the 2015 deal, citing Iran’s repeated violations of the agreement.
The Iranian president said the move signaled the European powers were abandoning the deal.
In his address Thursday, Rouhani acknowledged that US sanctions on Iran had made the country’s economic situation “not an easy one.”
The address comes just days after the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate warned that Iran could be in a position to build a nuclear weapon within a year. It would take Iran another year, however, to build a ballistic missile delivery system capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
On Tuesday, the UK, Germany, and France announced that they were launching a dispute mechanism against Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal, accusing Tehran of repeatedly violating the accord while insisting they remained committed to the agreement.
Iran responded by warning of a “serious and strong response” if European powers moved to impose sanctions on Tehran.
Iran announced last week that it will abandon the deal amid heightened tensions with the United States over the killing of Soleimani.