Iran Ready to Boost Uranium Enrichment if Talks With EU Fail - Official

Uncertainty over the Iran nuclear deal has been growing ever since Washington withdrew from the deal, with Tehran threatening to relaunch its nuclear program if the agreement breaks down.

"We have of course adopted some measures in order to prepare the ground for eventually increasing the level of enrichment if it is needed and if the negotiations with the Europeans fail," Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, said.

Nevertheless, he stressed that Tehran continues to adhere to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also called the Iran nuclear deal, which stipulates the lifting of nuclear-related sanctions in exchange for Iran keeping its nuclear program peaceful. "But at the same time, taking every scenario into consideration, we are preparing ourselves," he added.

It is not the first time Iran voices concern over the nuclear deal, threatening to abandon the arrangements after US President Donald Trump pulled the US out of the agreement. In June, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said he was not ruling out that Tehran could withdraw from the JCPOA in the coming weeks. Media reports also suggested that Iran intended to build a new nuclear reactor in Arak, a facility which, in accordance with the JCPOA, had been rebuilt to satisfy concerns over the possible production and reprocessing of weapons-grade plutonium.

The US pulled out from the Iran nuclear deal in May, despite the fact that Iran had remained in compliance with the agreement.

READ MORE: Iran: EU Package on Extending Nuclear Deal 'Disappointing'

The JCPOA confines Tehran's nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of UN sanctions, as well as additional restrictions introduced by the US and the EU. After Washington's withdrawal, Trump vowed not only to reimpose sanctions but to introduce new ones, a move which triggered angry resentment from Tehran.