Khamenei: Iran would ever seek to build nuclear weapons

TEHRAN, Feb. 23 (YPA) – Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday Iran might enrich uranium up to 60% purity if the country needed it and would never yield to US pressure over its nuclear activity, state television reported.

“Iran’s uranium enrichment level will not be limited to 20%. We will increase it to whatever level the country needs…We may increase it to 60%,” the TV quoted Khamenei as saying, upping the ante in a stand-off with Washington over the future of the fraying deal.

“Americans and the European parties to the deal have used unjust language against Iran…Iran will not yield to pressure. Our stance will not change,” Khamenei said.

He repeated a denial that Iran would ever seek to build nuclear weapons.

“The nuclear deal is limited to several years, and if implemented by the opposite party, Iran will also implement it,” Khamenei said.

He said the West is taking nuclear weapons as a pretext against Iran and is aware that it is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, as it opposes its country’s possession of conventional weapons even because it “wants to remove the factors of power from it.”

E.M