The Iranian regime announced that it will start work on enriching uranium to 60% fissile purity, which is further proof that the regime is continuing (and probably speeding up) its violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even as Europe is doing all it can it re-establish the deal.

Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said: “Another 1,000 centrifuges with 50 per cent more capacity will be added to the existing machines in Natanz.”

This is the latest in a long series of signs that the regime has never taken nuclear negotiations seriously and never will. Ever since it was first floated that the new US administration might be willing to re-enter the nuclear deal, even though President Biden made clear that he would only do with strict new restrictions on Iran, the regime has demanded that the US dispense with all sanctions on Iran, even though Iran remains in violation of the 2015 deal.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said: “The facts on the ground have changed, the geopolitics of the region has changed, and the way forward must similarly change.”

And Sherman actually led the American negotiating team in 2013, so if she is more aware of the situation and what needs to change than anyone.

So why is the regime continuing with this posturing? Simply, they have no choice because they are unwilling to negotiate in good faith and make even the smallest moves away from their nuclear advancement.

After all, the JCPOA doesn’t even stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons, just delays it until 2024, which is right around the corner. It’s a weak deal and frankly better than Iran deserved then, let alone now. The regime flouted every loophole and outright disobeyed some parts of the deal; moving some of their nuclear operations to military sites.

The Iranian Resistance wrote: “The history of this deception should have prompted Western powers to take a harder line ahead of the JCPOA’s signing, or at least to be more responsive to signs that Iran was flouting the spirit of the agreement. But this proved not to be the case with any of the Western signatories until the US pulled out. And even then, the Europeans remained equally if not more willing to overlook Iran’s provocative behaviours in the interest of preserving the agreement.”

They reminded us that Iran is commited to its nuclear weapons program above all else, as the current capacities outweigh civilian use, and that the regime should not be invited back to the table.