American news website Axios published a report Wednesday saying Israeli officials have warned US that Iran is “taking technical steps” to enrich uranium to weapons-grade 90 percent within weeks.
“Israeli regime whose existence relies on tension is at it again, trumpeting lies to poison Vienna talks,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said in a tweet.
The Axios report cited two unnamed US sources as saying that Israel issued the warning as part of intelligence shared with Washington in time with the Vienna talks.
The intelligence reportedly warns the US that Iran is mulling the alleged step to influence the Vienna talks.
The report comes after Israeli minister for military affairs Benny Gantz said Monday that they are sharing intelligence with allies “indicating Iran is continuing to rush toward a nuclear” bomb.
Iran has repeatedly stressed that its nuclear program is solely aimed at civilian purposes. That has been confirmed for over a dozen times by the International Atomic Energy Agency under the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, which imposed a strict monitoring regime on Iran’s nuclear activities.
Khatibzadeh now says it is for the remaining parties to the accord and the US to decide whether they would go for the Israeli lies or show their will to resolve the impasse created by Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
“All parties in the room now face a test of their independence & political will to carry out the job— irrespective of the fake news designed to destroy prospects for success” he added in his tweet.
