As of today, Iran has begun enriching uranium to more than 4,5 percent, Isna news agency reported, citing the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency.
"Iran crossed the 4,5 percent threshold for uranium enrichment this morning," Isna added.
Iran's Atomic Energy Agency stated that this level of uranium enrichment is sufficient for the country's needs for nuclear power plants.
The Iranian authorities announced yesterday that they have begun enriching uranium above the 3,67 percent allowed under the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program, from which the US withdrew.
Tehran threatened yesterday that it will not comply with some other provisions of the nuclear agreement "in 60 days" if a solution is not found and Iran's demands are not met.
Those demands primarily relate to Iran's ability to sell its oil and have foreign trade bypassing the sanctions that the US imposed on Iran after withdrawing from the agreement.
Iran's measures are a response to the US withdrawal from the agreement and the reimposition of sanctions.
The agreement on the Iran nuclear deal was concluded in Vienna in 2015 by Iran and six major powers - the USA, Russia, China, France, Great Britain and Germany, after 12 years of crisis over the program.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed today that Iran has begun enriching uranium above the limit set by the international nuclear agreement with major powers.
That UN agency stated that its inspectors confirmed today "that Iran is enriching uranium above the level of 3,67 percent", according to the Associated Press.
The IAEA did not specify how far Iran breached the limit set by the agreement. Uranium enriched to 90 percent is considered sufficient for making nuclear weapons.
In an agreement signed in 2015 with six major powers - the US, Russia, China, Great Britain, France, Germany and the EU, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment activities, and in return international sanctions were lifted.
The US left the agreement a year ago and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, while the other signatories are trying to preserve the agreement and reduce tensions.
According to that agreement, Iran must not have more than 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to 3,67 percent.
Netanyahu: Iran's violation of the nuclear deal is a test for Europe
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said today that European leaders should punish Iran for enriching uranium beyond the level allowed under a 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, following news that Tehran is now enriching uranium to 4,5 percent.
"If I hadn't fought that battle against Iran, they would already have a nuclear arsenal. The reason they don't have it (a nuclear arsenal) yet is that we put pressure on them, against the whole world and the previous American administration, and also against many people in the Government of Israel." said Netanyahu, assessing that Iran poses a huge danger "to our future and that is what stopped them then".
Asked whether US President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal last year made the situation more dangerous, the Israeli leader said the Iranians were "now trying to cross the border" and that the Americans had imposed sanctions that hit them hard, but that did not end the matter.
"They are trying to singalize that they are going towards a (nuclear) bomb and we will make sure that does not happen. The big question is not what our policy is because nothing has changed there. I am again addressing the European leaders: You have promised that if Iran does that tiny step, the enrichment of uranium, which is the ammunition for nuclear weapons, you said if they exceed the allowed amount you will impose sanctions. So I say: Do it. Because they are testing you. A violent murderous regime is testing the backbone of the West and I expect you to fulfill your promises," the Israeli prime minister said, Israeli media reported.
Russia: Iran's statements should not cause so much commotion
Iran's statements about the gradual reduction of the country's obligations under the 2015 nuclear agreement should not lead to such a commotion, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs assessed today, reports Tanjug.
"Statements of a firm intention to take an additional step towards gradually reducing commitments under the nuclear deal, made by representatives of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Atomic Energy Organization at a press conference in Tehran on July 7, should not cause so much alarm," it is stated in the press release of the ministry.
EU calls on Iran to stop uranium enrichment, Germany will not take action
The European Union (EU) has called on Iran to stop enriching uranium beyond the limit established by the international agreement it concluded with other world powers, EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said, adding that the EU is very concerned.
Germany has said it will not take action against Iran for now, but will wait for a report by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors on Tehran's claims that it is enriching uranium beyond levels allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal with major powers.
German Foreign Ministry spokesman Rainer Broyle said that the IAEA has not yet published the report, but that "it is about days, not weeks."
Broil told reporters that Germany would study the report as soon as it appeared and discuss further steps with the other signatories of the nuclear deal - Iran, China, Russia, Great Britain and France.
He added that it is important for Germany "for Iran to return to respecting the agreement".
The US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement a year ago and has since imposed a series of harsh sanctions on Iran's economy and leadership.
China blamed the US for the Iran crisis
China today expressed regret over Iran's violation of the 2015 nuclear deal and blamed the crisis on the US and the US policy of "maximum pressure" after Washington's withdrawal from the deal.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang described the 2015 deal as the only realistic and effective way to resolve the Iranian nuclear issue and reduce tensions.
Geng said at a regular conference that the "maximum pressure" exerted by the US is "at the root" of the crisis.
Since leaving the agreement last year, the US has imposed heavy economic sanctions on Iran.
China, Geng said, is advocating for a diplomatic solution because "it has been proven that unilateral bullying has become an increasingly widespread tumor and is creating more and more problems and major crises at the global level."
Iran announced earlier that it had begun enriching uranium beyond the limit allowed by the nuclear agreement.
Putin and Netanyahu discussed Syria and Iran
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone today about Syria and Iran, their offices announced.
The Russian statement stated that Putin and Netanyahu discussed "Russian-Israeli cooperation on the Syrian issue", after the meeting of the national security advisers of Russia, the US and Israel in Jerusalem on July 25, and "especially the importance of further cooperation between the two armies".
The goal of the meeting between Russia, the US and Israel, the first held in Jerusalem, was to counter Iran's nuclear aspirations and its influence in the Middle East, Israel claims.
The conversation was initiated by Netanyahu, who expressed his condolences to Putin over the death of 14 Russian sailors in a submarine fire in the Barents Sea on July 1.
In a brief statement from Netanyahu's cabinet, it was stated that "Iran, Syria and the relations between the two countries" were discussed, Israeli media reported.
The Jewish state has long sought Russia's support in its efforts to get Iranian forces to leave Syria after the end of the war there.
Russia, which has close ties with both Israel and Iran, is considered a possible mediator between the West and Tehran, the Israeli media state.
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