European powers urge Iran to reverse uranium enrichment decision

Top diplomats from the European Union, France, Germany and the UK said on Tuesday that they are extremely concerned with Iran's exceeding of stockpile limit for low enriched uranium and urged Tehran to reverse course.

An Iranian security official in protective clothing walks through part of the Uranium Conversion Facility just outside the Iranian city of Isfahan. [File Photo: IC]

A joint statement by foreign ministers of France and Germany, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas, as well as British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and EU's High Representative Federica Mogherini said Iran's announcement that it has exceeded the stockpile limit for low enriched uranium - set by the Iran nuclear deal - has been confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

"We have been consistent and clear that our commitment to the nuclear deal depends on full compliance by Iran. We regret this decision by Iran, which calls into question an essential instrument of nuclear nonproliferation," the statement read.

"We urge Iran to reverse this step and to refrain from further measures that undermine the nuclear deal. We are urgently considering next steps under the terms" of the nuclear deal in close coordination with other nuclear deal participants, it said.

The deal, endorsed by the UN Security Council, was reached in 2015 between Iran, China, France, Russia, Britain, the United States, and Germany.

The U.S., under President Donald Trump, withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal on May 8, 2018, and reimposed sanctions on Tehran, despite objections from the international community.

Other parties still support the deal and have vowed to sidestep the U.S. sanctions. But Iran has said the help it received from Europe has been too little, threatening further deviation from commitments in the deal.