Rouhani: Iran will never stop enrichment

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) entitles Iran to continue uranium enrichment, which is the Islamic Republic’s red line, Press TV reported Wednesday. In a live address on state television on Tuesday, Rouhani said that enrichment is a right not banned under international law and Tehran will never stop the activity inside the country. “Enrichment, which is one part of our nuclear right, will continue, it is continuing today and it will continue tomorrow and our enrichment will never stop and this is our redline,” Rouhani said during the address to mark his 100th day in office. Commenting on Iran's recent nuclear deal with the six world powers, the president said that the accord has created cracks in the sanctions regime imposed against the country. Rouhani stressed that his administration managed to neutralize a rift of unilateral and multilateral sanctions against Iran. The Iranian president also said the country's enemies that tried to spread Iranophobia across the world are isolated more than ever. “Many were trying to isolate Iran, but who is isolated today? Our enemies are in fact isolated,” Rouhani added. Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council -- the United States, Britain, Russia, France and China -- plus Germany, sealed an interim deal in Geneva on Sunday morning to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program. In the Geneva deal, the Sextet has agreed to several measures including enabling the repatriation of an agreed amount of Iranian revenues held abroad and suspending the EU and US sanctions on insurance and transportation of Iran’s crude. The EU and US sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical export, gold and precious metals and auto industry as well as the supply of spare parts for the Iranian airplanes would also be suspended. Furthermore, no new sanctions will be imposed against Iran by the UN Security Council, the European Union or the US. In return, Iran undertakes measures including capping uranium enrichment to five percent for the duration of six months as stipulated in the agreement. Tehran has also agreed not to advance activities at Natanz, Fordow and Arak facilities and to allow more inspections of its nuclear facilities and further increase its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency as part of confidence-building measures.