Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf says Iran’s recent decision to start enriching uranium to 60 percent purity was a “decisive response” to a plot to undermine Tehran’s position in Vienna talks.  

Qalibaf made the remarks Sunday, less than a week after Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of its plan to start the 60-percent enrichment, under which 1,000 advanced centrifuges will be installed at Natanz nuclear site.

The decision followed an act of sabotage at the facility, which is among the sites being monitored by the IAEA under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Qalibaf said the 60-percent enrichment lies within the framework of Article 1 of the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions, a law passed last December by the Iranian parliament.

The 60-percent uranium enrichment, which was made possible in a short time, shows that the interval between decision-making and action in the country’s nuclear industry has reached the minimum, he added.

“Today, it can be said that we will achieve whatever we want with the grace of God Almighty in a short time,” Qalibaf said.

“The important enrichment achievement proved to our enemies that Iran’s nuclear industry has become indigenous and that any uncalculated action and pressure on Iran’s national determination for scientific progress is ineffective.”

The 60-percent enrichment, Qalibaf said, was “a decisive response to the enemy’s scheme meant to weaken the country’s upper hand in the negotiation process”.

Representatives of the remaining signatories to the JCPOA have been meeting in Vienna to try to remove the unilateral US sanctions on the Islamic Republic and discuss other steps needed to bring the US into line. 

Qalibaf said the higher enrichment indicated that acts of sabotage do not pose a threat to Iran’s nuclear activities, but practically provide “a unique opportunity” for progress.

“I also emphasize that a response to the terrorist attack in Natanz is an indispensable necessity and that it will be delivered in due time,” he added.