Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it is following with concern the current developments of Iran’s nuclear program, the most recent of which was the Iranian announcement of raising the level of uranium enrichment to 60 percent, which cannot be considered a program intended for peaceful uses, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.“The Kingdom calls on Iran to avoid escalation and not to subject the security and stability of the region to further tension, and to engage seriously in the current ongoing negotiations, in line with the expectations of the international community towards Iran’s utilization of its nuclear program for peaceful purposes and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in a manner that achieves security and stability in the region and the world, and limits From the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” according to a statement on SPA.Iran confirmed Wednesday it would start producing by next week uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, days after a blast it blamed on Israel hit a key nuclear facility in Natanz.“Modification of the process just started and we expect to accumulate the product next week” from centrifuges at Natanz, tweeted Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Kazem Gharibabadi.“The Kingdom stresses the importance of the international community reaching an agreement with stronger and longer determinants, in a way that strengthens monitoring and control measures and ensures preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons or developing the necessary capabilities for that, and takes into account the deep concern of the countries of the region about the escalatory steps that Iran is taking to destabilize regional security and stability, including Its nuclear program,” the statement by the Kingdom’s foreign ministry added.Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies, who are also worried about Iran’s ballistic missiles and regional network of proxies, had supported former US President Donald Trump’s move to quit the accord in 2018 and re-impose harsh sanctions on Iran.Ambassador Rayed Krimly, the head of policy planning at the Saudi foreign ministry, told Reuters that any agreement that does not effectively address the concerns of states in the region would not work.“We want to make sure at a minimum that any financial resources made available to Iran via the nuclear deal are not used ... to destabilize the region,” he said.“We are going to do everything we can (so) that a nuclear deal is a starting point not an end point in this process.”With ReutersRead more:Iran will start 60 pct uranium production, Iranian envoy to IAEA confirmsEuropean powers concerned about Iran’s 60 pct uranium enrichment move: StatementIran’s President Rouhani says enrichment plans an answer to ‘evilness’
Source: Al Arabiya
Full Article: Saudi Arabia says Iran uranium enrichment cannot be intended for ‘peaceful’ means
