Iran Marks 40th Anniversary of Hostage Crisis with Fresh Nuclear Deal Violations
Iran on Monday held an event commemorating the 40th anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis at the U.S. Embassy and also announced fresh violations of the 2015 nuclear deal it arranged with former U.S. President Barack Obama, including plans to deploy a new uranium centrifuge that would work 50 times faster than the equipment it was permitted to use under the deal.
Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, announced the prototype centrifuge, adding Tehran is now spinning 60 centrifuges of less advanced design — twice as many as the nuclear deal allowed.
Fox News reported Iran is getting close to a one-year “breakout” period to producing enough weapons-grade material to build an atomic bomb, a significant threshold because only the most drastic measures could prevent the Iranians from taking the final steps at that point.
“In the four years since agreeing to the nuke deal, which was brokered by the Obama administration, Iran has already flaunted its disregard of stockpile and enrichment limitations, all the while hinting to European countries that increased economic aid and additional sanctions relief could persuade leaders to agree to a new deal or come back into compliance with the current one,” Fox News noted.
