Britain is prepared to trigger “snapback” sanctions against Iran over nuclear deal breaches, Report informs via The Telegraph.
David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, is ready to trigger a new round of sanctions against the Islamic Republic to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.
The UK remains a participant of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal, and can therefore unilaterally force a return to sanctions if it considers that Iran has violated the terms of the deal.
The nuclear deal was significantly weakened by the US withdrawal in 2018 under the Trump administration, although major signatories, including the UK, France and Germany, remain committed in theory.
On Friday, a senior adviser to the supreme leader of Iran claimed the country is capable of making nuclear weapons and will change its doctrine to allow their production if it faces an “existential threat”.
Kamal Kharrazi, the head of the Islamic Republic’s strategic council of foreign relations, also said the country was “ready for war” amid speculation it was planning to launch a fresh attack on Israel.
“We are ready for war but we do not want to escalate because we have currently proven our ability to deter from doing so,” he told Al Mayadeen, the Lebanon-based pro-Iran broadcaster.
“The matter is up to the Israelis, if they really want to continue, we will respond to them. Our missile capabilities are clear to everyone and everyone believes in them, and we have proven that during our operations.”
Intelligence officials have suggested Iran could attack within days, possibly through a drone offensive launched by one of its proxy groups in Iraq.
It is unclear whether Iran plans to attack Israel before or after next week’s US election, but Mr Kharrazi claimed Israel was to blame for increasing instability in the region.
Tehran was left reeling after Israel used dozens of aircraft, including F35 stealth jets, refuellers and drones, in a retaliatory attack in the early hours of Oct 26.
Iran has previously asserted its right to cancel parts of the nuclear deal since the US withdrawal.
Under the pact, Iran agreed to tight limits that ensured it could not stockpile enough enriched uranium to produce a single bomb.
Enriched uranium numbers are still significantly below levels in 2015, the year the JCPOA was signed, when they hit 7,953kg, but are increasing at a similar rate to that seen in the early 2010s.
UN inspectors have not been able to access some crucial facilities in the nuclear programme, including centrifuge production workshops, since February 2021.
At the same time, Iran has been ramping up its production of highly enriched uranium, just short of the weapons grade needed for an atomic bomb, at the underground Fordow fuel enrichment plant.
Since 2019, Iran has increased its stock of enriched uranium from 997kg to 5,525kg, the amount recorded in February.
This includes an increase in uranium enriched up to 60 per cent, or near “weapons grade”, from 88kg to 123kg in the past year, a 38 per cent increase.
UN inspectors noted this in a February report, which warned of new equipment and expansion at Fordow, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps base 20 miles north-east of the city of Qom.
A Foreign Office spokesman said: “Iran’s nuclear programme has never been more advanced than it is today. Their nuclear escalation threatens international security and undermines the global non-proliferation system.
“We remain committed to preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons using every diplomatic tool available, including the snapback mechanism if necessary.”