Cabinet Disagrees with Bill on Iran’s Withdrawal from Additional Protocol
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Dec 2, 2020
A senior Iranian official said on Monday that Tehran suspected a foreign-based opposition group of complicity with Israel in the killing of Fakhrizadeh, whom Western powers see as the architect of an abandoned Iranian nuclear weapons programme.
Iran's Supreme National Security Council usually handles decisions related to the country's nuclear program, and parliamentary bills must be approved by the powerful Guardians Council.
General Qassem Soleimani, acts of sabotage in Iran's Natanz nuclear site, the US' illegal attempts to reinstate the United Nations sanctions on Iran, Washington's plots to disrupt foreign cooperation with Iran, and assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Iran's English-language Press TV on Monday said that the weapon used in Fakhrizadeh's killing was made in Israel despite Israeli Intelligence Minister Eli Cohen telling local media hat he did not know who was responsible for last week's incident.
Borrell also wished that the European Union would be able to persuade the United States to return to the nuclear deal and Iran to go back to full compliance with nuclear responsibilities as envisioned by the JCPOA. Tehran said there were signs of Israel's involvement in the assassination. The U.S. imposed crippling sanctions on Iran after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement, triggering a series of escalations between the two sides.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office has declined to comment on the killing.
Parliament has often demanded without much success a hardening of Iran's position on the nuclear issue in recent years.
Rabiee said while the main concern for the Parliament has been to remove the sanctions with the new bill, a rise in the storage of enriched uranium with 20 percent purity level and withdrawal from the Additional Protocol would make the sanctions permanent, Rabiee warned.
The nuclear scientist's murder has led to high-ranking Iranian officials urging the government to boycott potential negotiations with the U.S. after President Donald Trump leaves office in January. It now enriches a growing uranium stockpile up to 4.5% purity.