Israel warns US of Iran’s steps to enrich uranium: Axios

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Iran is taking technical steps to prepare for the enrichment of uranium to 90% purity, the level required to produce a nuclear weapon, Israel warned the US on Monday.

This came with the resumption of nuclear talks with Iran in Vienna on Monday, with Iran returning to the negotiating table after a five-month hiatus.

Estimates are confused about how long Iran may take to obtain additional technologies besides enrichment to produce a bomb, now that Israeli and American intelligence sources have suggested that the period will be from one to two years.

If the purpose is peaceful, as Iran claims, it has already exceeded the required level of enrichment 60% under the 2015 agreement that Trump abandoned, while Biden is trying to revive it again now, Axios network reported.

Israeli intelligence analysts assess that Iran could take that dramatic step soon in an attempt to gain leverage in the Vienna talks, Axios reported a US source. 

“Israel also shared an intelligence assessment that Iran’s desire for leverage in Vienna could lead Tehran to further increase attacks against US forces and interests in the region via proxies in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.”

Israeli officials have been pushing their US and European counterparts to take a hard line with Iran in Vienna.

Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said, on Monday, there was indisputable intelligence that Iran intended to secretly continue its nuclear program no matter the result in Vienna.

On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the US and its European allies must understand that this opportunity is not a window that could remain open forever, Axios added.  

Diplomats from Iran and the five countries of China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK met at a hotel in the Austrian capital on Monday afternoon, with US representatives participating indirectly.