Tehran Journeys Down a Provocative Nuclear Path

Much of Iran's Natanz Fuel Enrichment Facility, as shown in a satellite photo, exists about 8 meters underground, protected by a 2.5 meter concrete wall.

(DigitalGlobe/Getty Images)

In this 2015 image, DigitalGlobe closeup imagery shows the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant, which covers 100,000 square meters and is built 8 meters underground and protected by a concrete wall 2.5 meters thick.

Iran has resumed the nuclear activities it previously agreed to suspend as a part of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — the agreement it entered into in 2015 with the United States and Germany, France, the United Kingdom, China and Russia — and Tehran has left room for further action. On July 7, Iran announced that it would no longer cap uranium enrichment levels at 3.67 percent. The next day, its atomic energy agency announced that it was enriching uranium to 4.5 percent. Iran also announced that in another 60 days it would implement a third phase of reducing its commitments to the nuclear deal in response to increased U.S. sanctions pressure. As expected, the international response to Iran's latest course of action has been negative. The remaining parties in the JCPOA broadly condemned the decision.