Iran injects gas into hundreds of advanced centrifuges in response to new U.S. sanctions

The Iranian government announced Tuesday the injection of gas into hundreds of advanced centrifuges in response to the new package of sanctions announced by the United States and criticized Washington’s “irrational measures” amid attempts to bring negotiations for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal to a successful conclusion.

“Iran has responded to US action by injecting gas into hundreds of advanced centrifuges,” said Iranian Foreign Minister Hosein Amirabdolahian, who has charged against the “madness of ineffective sanctions” by the United States since Washington’s unilateral withdrawal from the deal in 2018.

“The United States should not think it can achieve concessions at the negotiating table with these decisions and should abandon these acts of bullying,” he has argued. “We are on the side of logic and we want negotiations. We are serious about reaching a firm agreement, but if the United States goes down this path, we will not give up,” he has added, as reported by Mehr News Agency.

In this regard, he recalled that the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy and Common Security, Josep Borrell, acknowledged last week that the US campaign of “maximum pressure” has “failed”, after unveiling in an article in the ‘Financial Times’ a new proposal to try to unblock the talks process.

On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Naser Kanani criticized the US sanctions and said that “the White House’s addiction to sanctions and their instrumental use is a sign of the US hegemonic system, given that the change of administrations does not mean any change in their positions.”

“Iran will show a firm, vigorous and immediate response to the White House’s insistence on the continued imposition of sanctions and will take all necessary measures to nullify the possible adverse effects of these sanctions on the country’s trade and economy,” he explained, as reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

The sanctions were announced just hours after Kanani himself said that Tehran is open to the resumption of contacts for the reactivation of the nuclear agreement and defended that it is the “logical and rational path” to achieve a “sustainable” pact.

Hours earlier, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohamad Eslami, had assured that Tehran has the technical capabilities to build an atomic bomb, although they have reiterated that it is not among their plans to go ahead with the project.

Iran has announced the withdrawal of its commitments on several points of the 2015 nuclear deal after the United States unilaterally pulled out of the pact in 2018, although Iranian officials have defended that these steps can be reversed if the United States withdraws sanctions and returns to the agreement.