White House official says US eyeing further sanctions on Iran ‘very soon’

A top official in US President Donald Trump’s administration said Wednesday that more sanctions would be imposed on Iran “very soon,” after Tehran announced it was setting up a possible return to high-level uranium enrichment by suspending some of its commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal it signed with major powers.

Speaking at a conference in Washington, Tim Morrison, special assistant to the President and senior director for weapons of mass destruction and biodefense, said the United States wasn’t done with punitive measures against the Islamic Republic.

“Expect more sanctions soon. Very soon,” he said, according to Reuters.

However, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States will wait to see if Iran follows through its threats.

Speaking in London with British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Pompeo said Iran’s threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days appeared aspirational and was vague on whether it would follow through.

Because Trump withdrew the US from the accord last year, Pompeo said the administration’s position on compliance depends on what Iran does, not what it says it may do.

Earlier Wednesday, in a highly anticipated speech on the one-year anniversary of the US pulling out of the deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani threatened higher-level uranium enrichment would resume if new nuclear deal terms are not reached by the deadline.

Rouhani said Iran wanted to negotiate new terms with remaining partners in the deal, but that the situation was dire. “We felt that the nuclear deal needs a surgery and the painkiller pills of the last year have been ineffective,” Rouhani said. “This surgery is for saving the deal, not destroying it.”

Iran sent letters Wednesday on its decision to the leaders of Britain, China, the European Union, France and Germany. All were signatories to the nuclear deal and continue to support it. A letter was also to go to Russia.

Under the terms of the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of low-enriched uranium. That’s compared to the 10,000 kilograms (22,046 pounds) of higher-enriched uranium it once had.

The US last week ended deals allowing Iran to exchange its enriched uranium for unrefined yellowcake uranium with Russia, as well as being able to sell its heavy water to Oman. The US also has ended waivers for nations buying Iranian crude oil, a key source of revenue for Iran’s government.

Currently, the accord limits Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67%, which can fuel a commercial nuclear power plant. Weapons-grade uranium needs to be enriched to around 90%. However, once a country enriches uranium to around 20%, scientists say the time needed to reach 90% is halved. Iran has previously enriched to 20%.

Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal in May last year but the other five signatories have all agreed to try to keep the pact alive on their own. Trump insists the original agreement did not go far enough in curbing Iran’s nuclear weapons ambitions and wants to renegotiate the JCPOA with stricter terms.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says Iran has continued to comply with the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, which saw it limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. But American sanctions have wreaked havoc on Iran’s already-anemic economy, while promised help from European partners in the deal haven’t alleviated the pain.