Blinken: No New Deal Before Iran Ends Nuclear Buildup

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Iran must end its nuclear buildup before the United States returns to the 2015 accord, comments likely to rankle Tehran as it continues to stockpile highly enriched materials that could be used in an atomic weapon.

Blinken said in response to reports that Iran is stockpiling enriched uranium, in violation of the international accord still being upheld by European powers, that the United States will negotiate when Iran recommits to promises made under the deal.

While the Biden administration has said that it wants to return to the nuclear agreement that President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, Blinken said in his first televised interview on Monday that the United States will not lift sanctions until Iran halts its enrichment of uranium, the key component in an atomic weapon. Blinken's remarks signal a showdown is coming between the United States and Iran over its contested uranium enrichment program. Iran has increased the amount of uranium it keeps in the country over the past several months, blowing past caps established in the nuclear deal that prevent Tehran from stockpiling weapons-grade materials.

Iranian leaders announced last week that they will begin to decrease their level of cooperation with international nuclear inspectors until Western nations grant the country relief from tough economic sanctions. Iran also is pushing forward with the installation of 1,000 advanced nuclear centrifuges, which enrich uranium to the levels needed to power a weapon. Tehran is ahead of schedule on its plan to enrich uranium past the 20 percent threshold, activity that is prohibited under the nuclear deal and would bring Tehran closer than ever to weapons-grade materials.