Iran to unveil new nuclear centrifuges at Natanz as government forges ahead with program
Today is Iran’s national Nuclear Technology Day, which will be marked by the unveiling of new nuclear centrifuges at the Natanz enrichment plant.
As a response to increased sanctions imposed by the US, the Iranian government has abandoned all commitments to halt its nuclear enrichment. Today, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile amounts to five times the amount allotted to it in the original 2015 deal.
To Washington, the primary threat of a nuclear Iran is the erosion of leverage held by nuclear-equipped Western countries and their allies. The Islamic regime is often regarded by the West as an irrational actor, and the asymmetry of weapons capabilities is viewed as critical in subduing Tehran’s efforts to threaten US allies in the region.
Furthermore, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq will likely find it increasingly difficult to reject Iranian influence over their governments given Tehran’s potential nuclear advantage, exacerbating the Cold War-like struggle for regional domination with Saudi Arabia. Today’s announcement is likely to provoke an escalatory response from Riyadh, whose nuclear program has already received assistance from the White House Expect a prolongation of regional proxy conflicts, namely in Yemen, as Riyadh finds its military intervention ever more crucial to secure the reinstalment of the Saudi-sympathetic Yemeni government.
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