Rohani: For every crime we will cut off your hands...

The decision to enrich uranium to 60 percent after the explosion at the Natanz facility is Iran's "response" to Israel's "nuclear terrorism," Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said today.

"It is a response to your malice. What you did is called nuclear terrorism, and what we are doing is legal," Rouhani said at the cabinet meeting.

Tehran accuses Israel of sabotaging a uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, central Iran.

"You cannot plot against Iran, commit crimes against Iran. For every crime, we will cut off your hands ... so that you understand that you cannot prevent us from having access to nuclear technology," Rouhani added.

The Iranian president said he was awaiting a report from security officials on the incident in Natanz, but, he added, "it appears to be a Zionist crime."

"You want us to remain empty-handed at the negotiations, but we will go there with even more cards in our hands," Rouhani said.

Rouhani added that Iran's nuclear activities "will remain peaceful and peaceful, and under the supervision of the IAEA", the International Atomic Energy Agency, whether it is about enriching uranium to 60 percent or to 20 percent.

The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed yesterday that it had received notification from Iran of its intention to begin enriching uranium to 60 percent at the Natanz facility.

Iran's decision comes amid negotiations over the survival of the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program signed in 2015.

Iran is currently enriching uranium to 20 percent, while enrichment to 60 percent would allow it to quickly move to 90 percent enrichment, which is necessary for the use of uranium for military purposes.

Iran plans to start enriching uranium up to 60 percent next week, Iranian representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Kazem Garibabadi confirmed on Twitter last night.

The IAEA previously said it had received notification of those intentions from Iran.

Tehran made the decision amid talks in Vienna on the survival of the international agreement on Iran's nuclear program signed in 2015.