Iran aims two 'guns' at the West?

Break the limits

One day after the 1 year anniversary of the eventUS assassinates senior generalIran's Qasem Soleimani, and just under 3 weeks before Donald Trump ends his term as President of the United States, Tehran has made a move that further escalates tensions with Washington. That was when on January 4, Iran announced that it had returned to enriching uranium to 20% purity, far exceeding the limits outlined in the agreement that they themselves agreed to in 2015. According to the Mehr and IRNA news agencies, a spokesman for the government of this country revealed that the Islamic Republic's experts had restarted uranium enrichment towards the above goal at the underground nuclear facility Fordow. 20% will surely be startling to many people, when compared to the current level of Iran enriching its uranium stockpile to around 4.5%, higher than the 3.67% ceiling that the 2015 agreement with the world powers imposed on Tehran. Although it must be 90 percent to be considered weapons-grade, and Iran has repeatedly denied any intention to build nuclear weapons, the fact is that the country has broken the limits it agreed to and committed to more than five years ago.

Iran has decided to increase the level of uranium enrichment. Photo: Getty

According to CNN, Iran has notified the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its intention.uranium enrichmentat 20% since late last week. And on Monday morning, government spokesman Ali Rabiei said they had started the uranium enrichment process “a few hours ago” at the Fordow facility, noting that the first UF6-enriched uranium would be produced in a few hours.

Iran agreed to three main contents under the 2015 nuclear deal: (1) Reduce by two-thirds the number of centrifuges used to enrich uranium (from 19,000 to 6,104 machines); (2) Reduce by 98% the stockpile of enriched uranium (from 10,000 kg of low-enriched uranium to 300 kg in 15 years); (3) Only enrich uranium to a maximum of 3.67%, enough for civilian use.

While the news about increasing uranium enrichment level is still hot, news agencies and Dryad Global company dropped another "bomb", that Iran hasarrest of a petrochemical vesselflying the South Korean flag. Dryad Global said: “Reports indicate that the South Korean-flagged petrochemical vessel HANKUK CHEMI may have been seized by Iranian forces in the Strait of Hormuz while en route to Fujairah.” South Korea then said it had dispatched its Choenghae anti-piracy unit to the strait, and the Defense Ministry in Seoul issued a statement saying: “A vessel moving near the Sea of ​​Oman in the Sea of ​​Hormuz on the afternoon of January 4 is currently entering Iranian waters at the request of Iranian authorities.”

The ministry and the South Korean Embassy have asked Iranian authorities to confirm the safety of the crew and release the ship as soon as possible. In response, Iran said the ship was seized for “causing environmental and chemical pollution in the Persian Gulf.” The ship was seized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy. Some views say that this is likely a retaliatory move by Tehran, given that its finances have been frozen by South Korean banks under US sanctions. The incident even took place before the planned visit of the South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister to Tehran in the next few days, to discuss Iran’s proposal that Seoul “untie” the frozen $7 billion in finances, using them to “exchange” for Covid-19 vaccine doses and other items.

A South Korean-flagged oil tanker is escorted by an Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessel in the Persian Gulf on January 4. Photo: Tasnim

Reversing the decision

For that reason, although Iran asserted that the seizure of the tanker was only a “technical” issue, in Washington’s eyes, the situation is not that simple. The US State Department immediately criticized, asserting that Tehran’s “continued threats to the rights and freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf are a clear attempt to force the international community to ease the pressure of sanctions.” Of course, they also condemned the opponent’s move to increase uranium enrichment, and a spokesman representing the United States emphasized that “Iran’s enrichment program was initially developed in secret, including at the Fordow facility, and Iran retained a large amount of archives from its previous nuclear weapons program, along with many key personnel who led that program.” With such a view, the US affirmed that it would join the international community in “assessing Iran’s actions based on this provocative history.”

The tensionsThe continued progress prompted President Trump to direct the Pentagon to maintain the US aircraft carrier in the Middle East, reversing the decision to withdraw the vehicle from the region last week. Specifically, after a White House meeting on January 3, Acting US Defense Secretary Christopher Miller ordered the USS Nimitz to return to the Middle East, even though just a few days earlier, he himself requested the aircraft carrier to return home, partly to signal de-escalation with Iran in the context of continued bilateral tensions, although this view at that time met with opposition from senior commanders.

US aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. Photo: AFP

Meanwhile, US ally South Korea also changed its mind at the last minute, saying it was reconsidering the visit of Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun to Tehran, which was scheduled to take place this weekend to further discuss the Islamic Republic's wishes regarding the $7 billion fund that is being frozen by Seoul. The ministry confirmed that the plan for Vice Minister Choi's visit is currently "unclear", while emphasizing that it will continue diplomatic efforts to release the tanker and its crew, putting this as the top priority, not discussing the issue of Tehran's financial freeze.

Finally, in the current context, it can be seen that the latest unpredictable developments have been posing challenges toPresident-elect Joe Bidenof the United States, who has just pledged to restore the Iran nuclear deal after taking office on January 20. Biden's national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, announced over the weekend that the incoming administration of the United States would return to the deal if Iran also returned to compliance. After that, the Biden administration will try to seek a "further negotiation" on Iran's ballistic missile capabilities. But with what the public is witnessing - a defiant Tehran and a Washington that refuses to back down, the path to bringing the two sides to the negotiating table to resolve one of the hottest issues of all time will not be a bed of roses!