Iran's President Hassan Rouhani announced the country will suspend some of its nuclear deal commitments and resume higher uranium enrichment if new agreement terms aren't reached within 60 days, AFP and AP reported Wednesday, citing state television.
The latest: Exactly 1 year on from President Trump’s withdrawing the U.S. from Tehran’s nuclear deal, Rouhani sent letters outlining a partial withdrawal from the 2015 deal to ambassadors of Britain, China, the European Union, France and Germany, the state-run Tasnim news agency reported. Those nations were still committed to the existing deal.
Why it matters: The announcement comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and the United States. On Sunday, U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to Iran to send it "a clear and unmistakable message."
The backdrop: Tasnim indicated early Tuesday Iran would announce measures to coincide with the first anniversary of Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal.
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