The Iranian regime escalated its nuclear activity last week by saying that they would start enriching uranium to 60% fissile purity, far beyond the 20% already achieved and the 3.65% allowed under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action(JCPOA), which the Iranian Resistance says has “no practical purpose” except for threatening the rest of the world with a shorter nuclear breakout time.

The Resistance advised that the West respond firmly to this breach, as they should have done for all previous violations, which show how little respect Iran has for the already-lax deal. In fact, the US withdrew from the deal in 2018 citing Iranian non-compliance, so why can the other signatories not step up?

Especially when Atomic Energy Organization of Iran head Ali Akbar Salehi said in 2019 that the regime had actually faked their destruction of a nuclear reactor. He tried to justify this with the assumption that the signatories “would go against their word one day” and implied that the deceptive orders came from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Resistance wrote: “Some Western policymakers seemingly remain convinced that Khamenei, in particular, is averse to the problems associated with nuclear weapons development [citing a fatwa, the validity of which] has been called into question many times over the years by individual experts on Iranian affairs and by the National Council of Resistance of Iran(NCRI). They have pointed out that even if the edict was meant to be enforced, it would not prevent Iran from taking incremental steps toward nuclear weapons capability before poising itself to “break out” in an instant at some later date.”

As Iran begins to enrich uranium to 60%, it seems they are committed to a “break out” strategy because these levels are far beyond the amount needed for any civilian use with the only possible purpose to threaten the rest of the world, which is why they must face action.

The ridiculous notion that Iran is being pushed into pursuing nuclear weapons, recently purported by Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, should be countered. The regimes decision to pursue nuclear weapons despite the JCPOA and the fatwa cannot be blamed on anyone else.

The Iranian Resistance wrote: “Iran’s position regarding its nuclear program has never been credible, and with each successive escalation, it becomes less credible. If the preexisting weaknesses in the JCPOA were not sufficient grounds for going back to the drawing board and opening negotiations with much stricter demands for the Iranian side, then the regime’s ongoing provocative behaviour should be. It is time for European defenders of the nuclear deal to reevaluate their approach and to prioritize holding Tehran accountable.”