Iran defies US ahead of new nuclear meeting: will increase uranium enrichment

Iran vowed Thursday to significantly increase its production of enriched uranium, three days before a new round of talks with the United States on its nuclear program.

The Islamic Republic made its announcement just after the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), a UN agency, adopted a resolution condemning Iran and accusing it of failing to fulfill its obligations.

Israel, Iran's arch-enemy, was quick to urge the world to act "decisively."

The United States, Israel, and several Western powers have accused Iran for years of seeking to acquire the atomic bomb, a claim Tehran vehemently denies, claiming its program is purely civilian.

Uranium enrichment has once again emerged as the thorniest issue in the talks with the United States over Iran's program. And tensions have continued to rise in recent hours, three days before the sixth round of talks scheduled for Oman on Sunday.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry announced Thursday that the head of the Iranian atomic organization had issued "the necessary orders" to "launch a new uranium enrichment center in a secure location."

Iran will also replace all of its first-generation uranium centrifuges with sixth-generation ones at the Fordow enrichment center south of Tehran, said Iranian atomic agency spokesman Behruz Kamalvandi.

This means that "our production of enriched material will increase significantly," he told state television.

The IAEA's Board of Governors in Vienna adopted a resolution by 19 votes out of 35 condemning Iran's "non-compliance" with its nuclear obligations, according to diplomatic sources.

Iran's nuclear program director, Mohamed Eslami, called the resolution "extremist" and attributed it to Israeli influence.

The Islamic Republic maintains that uranium enrichment is "non-negotiable," while Washington calls this a "red line."

Iran is currently enriching uranium to 60%, well above the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 deal, but still short of the 90% needed to make an atomic bomb.

The European Union called on Iran to "avoid any measure that would contribute to an escalation," and France criticized Iran's continued "nuclear escalation."

Since last April, Tehran and Washington have held five rounds of talks to try to reach an agreement to revive the 2015 international pact on Iran's nuclear program, from which the first Trump administration withdrew in 2018.

As part of the pressure, Iran warned on Wednesday that it would attack US bases in the Middle East if negotiations with Washington fail.

Hours later, President Donald Trump confirmed the withdrawal of US personnel from the region, citing "it could be a dangerous place" in the coming days.

Giving diplomacy a chance, the US president revealed that he dissuaded Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from attacking Iran's nuclear facilities, a country that has supported the Hebrew state's regional enemies, such as Lebanese Hezbollah, Palestinian Hamas, and Yemen's Houthis.

Trump, although open to a deal, has continued to brandish the threat of military action if talks with Tehran fail.

On May 31, following the fifth round of talks, Iran said it had received "elements" of a US proposal for a possible agreement, although the Foreign Ministry later clarified that the text contained some "ambiguities."

Iran added that it will submit a counterproposal to Washington's latest draft, which it criticized for not offering, it said, relief from the economic sanctions the country has endured for years. The lifting of sanctions is one of Iran's key demands.