Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday Iran's move to break limits on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium is a "significant step toward making a nuclear weapon."
“I say again that Israel will not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office, urging Europe to impose “automatic sanctions” on Tehran.
He revealed that Israel would "soon unveil more proof that Iran was lying all the time" about its nuclear program.
The United Nations' atomic watchdog agency confirmed that Tehran has surpassed the stockpile of low-enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.
The International Atomic Energy Agency said its director general, Yukiya Amano, has informed its board of governors that the organization had verified Monday Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched up to 3.67% had exceeded the 300 kilograms allowed.
Britain urged Iran to reverse course and stick to the terms of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he was "deeply worried" by the announcement.
In a tweet, he urged Tehran "to avoid any further steps away from JCPoA & come back into compliance."
Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman, James Slack, said the announcement was "extremely concerning."
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced concern with Iran’s breach and urged the country to continue implementing all its nuclear related commitments, a UN spokesman said.
Such action by Iran “would not help preserve the plan, nor secure the tangible economic benefits for the Iranian people. It is essential that this issue ... be addressed through the mechanism established by the JCPOA,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
A senior Russian diplomat, meanwhile, said that US sanctions provoked Iran's move to break the stockpile limit.
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov noted that Iran had warned of its move in advance. He urged all parties to "avoid escalation," saying that Iran's move "causes regret, but shouldn't be overdramatized."
Iran acknowledged Monday it had exceeded the limit set on its low-enriched uranium stockpiles by the nuclear pact, its first major departure from the agreement a year after Washington unilaterally withdrew from it.
The other signatories — including the UK, France and Germany — involved have been struggling to keep Iran within the deal.
The deal promises Iran economic and sanctions relief for limits on its nuclear program.
