Royal baby: Duke and Duchess of Sussex share first glimpse of son - BBC News

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have named their newborn son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

Introducing him to the cameras earlier in the day, Meghan said: "He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm. He's been the dream."

As they laughed, Prince Harry said: "I don't know who he gets that from."

The announcement came after the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh met their eighth and newest great-grandchild for the first time at Windsor Castle.

There was no mention of a potential royal title for Archie.

Talking about their first few days as parents, Meghan said: "It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy."

The duke added: "It's great. Parenting is amazing.

"It's only been two and a half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy."

On which parent the baby resembled more, Harry said: "Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks.

"We're basically monitoring how the changing process happens over this next month really. But his looks are changing every single day, so who knows."

Later, asked to show more of their son's face to the cameras, Meghan laughed as Harry joked: "He's already got a little bit of facial hair as well, wonderful."

Meghan added: "Thank you everybody for all the well-wishes and kindness, it just means so much."

Pictures of the new family's first photocall were then shared on the SussexRoyal Instagram account.

"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to share their first public moment as a family," the post said.

The images shared on social media were taken by Chris Allerton, who was the couple's private wedding party photographer, and took the picture of the newlyweds watching fireworks in the grounds of Frogmore House at their evening reception.

The infant, who is seventh in line to the throne, was delivered at 05:26 BST on Monday, with Harry saying after the birth that he and Meghan were "absolutely thrilled".

The Duke of Cambridge has welcomed his brother to "the sleep deprivation society that is parenting".

Prince William - a father-of-three - said he looked forward to seeing the new parents "when things have quietened down".

The Prince of Wales has also expressed his joy at the birth.

During an official visit to Germany with the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles said: "We couldn't be more delighted at the news and we're looking forward to meeting the baby when we return."

A statement added that Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was "overjoyed at the arrival of her first grandchild" and was with her daughter at Frogmore Cottage - the new parents' home on the Windsor Estate.

'Sleeping soundly'

Analysis by BBC News correspondent Helena Wilkinson

As settings for first family photographs go this was rather more grand than most, to say the least - St. George's Hall in Windsor Castle is a room used for state banquets.

But for Meghan and Harry it is a special room already filled with memories - it was where they held their wedding reception last year. Today they created new ones.

Wrapped in a white shawl and hat, baby Sussex was oblivious to it all, sleeping soundly in his father's arms.

As soon as the pictures of the newborn emerged news crews outside the castle beamed them live across the world.

This two-day baby may only be seventh in line to the throne but interest in him is huge.

Something his parents, who guard their privacy closely, will be very aware of.

Buckingham Palace said Harry was present for the birth, which is understood to have taken place in hospital as opposed to at home.

The baby will not automatically become a prince - although he could get that title if the Queen steps in.

Harry and Meghan might otherwise want him to inherit one of Harry's titles, such as Earl of Dumbarton, or they could reject any royal title at all.

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The baby weighed 7lbs 3oz (3.2kg), making him lighter than each of his cousins.

Prince George was 8lb 6oz (3.8kg) when he was born in July 2013. His sister Princess Charlotte was 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg) when she arrived in May 2015, while their younger brother Prince Louis weighed 8lb 7oz (3.8kg) when he was born in April last year.

The average weight of a baby in the UK is about 7lb 7oz (3.4kg).

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2019-05-08 15:51:40Z
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Trump attacks potential 2020 rival Joe Biden in market-moving tweets about China trade negotiations - CNBC

President Donald Trump accused China on Wednesday of pulling back from agreed-upon trade deal language because Beijing would rather negotiate with former Vice President Joe Biden "or one of the very weak Democrats" hoping to win the White House.

Trump launched his attack in a pair of tweets that moved equities markets.

"The reason for the China pullback & attempted renegotiation of the Trade Deal is the sincere HOPE that they will be able to 'negotiate' with Joe Biden or one of the very weak Democrats, and thereby continue to ripoff the United States (($500 Billion a year)) for years to come," Trump tweeted. "Guess what, that's not going to happen!"

The tweets showed that Trump's attention is on Biden, the Democratic front-runner, even as he prepares for the most crucial trade talks of his presidency. Since Biden joined the race last month, Trump has attacked him more forcefully than any other Democrat running for president.

Shortly after the tweets were posted, Biden's campaign responded. "Unfortunately, the only people [Trump] has gotten tough w/ so far on trade are US farmers, small business owners & consumers, who feel the brunt of his tariff war," Biden's communications director, Kate Bedingfield, tweeted. Biden, she wrote, "will invest in our core strengths & ensure that US & our allies write rules of the road re: China." 

U.S. trade policy, and in particular Biden's record as a vocal advocate of free trade and multilateral agreements, has already surfaced as a top issue in the both the Democratic primary and increasingly in Trump's still-evolving 2020 campaign platform.

In 2016, Trump's tough rhetoric on trade, and his pledge to renegotiate what he often called "disastrous" free trade deals like NAFTA, were critical to his strategy of winning over disaffected Rust Belt Democrats by promising to bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States.

With the 2020 election just 18 months away, Trump is under ever-increasing pressure to deliver on those promises.

By painting his Democratic rivals as too "weak" to successfully negotiate with the world's second largest economy, Trump appears to be trying to shift the narrative away from the idea that he and his White House are competing against the Chinese, and toward the idea that the real contest is between Biden and himself.

As his third major presidential campaign gets underway, Biden is already drawing criticism from the left of his party for playing down the threat Chinese competition poses to U.S. union-backed manufacturing industries. At a campaign stop in Iowa last week, he appeared to dismiss concerns about China's geopolitical ascendancy. "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man," he said.

Biden's rivals, meanwhile, have a veritable treasure chest of Senate votes Biden cast over three decades, as well as Obama administration trade policies, with which to draw contrasts between themselves and the former vice president.

"When people take a look at my record versus Vice President Biden's record, I helped lead the fight against NAFTA; he voted for NAFTA," Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told CNN shortly after Biden launched his campaign. "I helped lead the fight against [permanent normalized trade relations] with China; he voted for it. I strongly opposed the Trans-Pacific Partnership; he supported it."

Sanders also slammed Biden's more recent comments on China. "It's wrong to pretend that China isn't one of our major economic competitors," the senator said.

At other times, however, Biden has borrowed a line that Trump frequently used in his 2016 campaign, describing himself not as a "free trader," but as a "fair trader."

"I'm a fair trader," Biden said last week in Iowa. "That's why I've been arguing for a long time that we should treat other countries the way in which they treat us, which is, particularly as it relates to China: If they want to trade here, they're going to be under the same rules."

— CNBC's Jacob Pramuk contributed to this report.

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2019-05-08 15:28:41Z
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Pompeo visits Britain as Iran warns over nuclear deal - AOL

LONDON, May 8 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Britain on Wednesday to pitch a post-Brexit 'special relationship' as Iran said it may stop complying with some parts of the nuclear deal which the United States withdrew from a year ago.

Pompeo arrived in London after an unannounced visit to Iraq where he explained U.S. security concerns amid rising Iranian activity.

The U.S. military said on Tuesday B-52 bombers would be part of additional forces being sent to the Middle East to counter what the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump says are "clear indications" of threats from Iran to U.S. forces there.

"The message that we’ve sent to the Iranians, I hope, puts us in a position where we can deter and the Iranians will think twice about attacking American interests," Pompeo said, noting that U.S. intelligence was "very specific" about "attacks that were imminent."

Iran will resume high level enrichment of uranium if world powers do not protect its interests against U.S. sanctions, President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday, responding to the U.S. withdrawal from a nuclear deal a year ago.

8 PHOTOS

Trump pulls US from Iran nuclear deal

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US President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement during a statement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

US President Donald Trump signs a document reinstating sanctions against Iran after announcing the US withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear deal, in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement during a statement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. President Donald Trump reacts to a question from the media after announcing his intention to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement during a statement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

U.S. President Donald Trump announces his intent to withdraw from the JCPOA Iran nuclear agreement in the Diplomatic Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 8, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 08: U.S. President Donald Trump holds up a memorandum that re-instates sanctions on Iran after he announced his decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the Diplomatic Room at the White House May 8, 2018 in Washington, DC. After two and a half years of negotiations, Iran agreed in 2015 to end its nuclear program in exchange for Western countries, including the United States, lifting decades of economic sanctions. Since then international inspectors have not found any violations of the terms by Iran. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump announces his decision on the Iran nuclear deal in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2018. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

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In London, Pompeo will meet Prime Minister Theresa May who is grappling with a three-year political crisis over the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union. He will also meet Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

As Britain tries to extract itself from the EU after 46 years of membership, a divorce many diplomats say has already made Britain weaker, Pompeo will give a speech on the so called special relationship with the United Kingdom.

Both Brexit and the sometimes unpredictable Trump presidency have strained relations between the world's preeminent power and the United Kingdom, its main European ally.

Trump is due to make a state visit to the United Kingdom in June.

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2019-05-08 09:11:50Z
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Royal baby: Duke and Duchess of Sussex share first glimpse of son - BBC News

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have shared the first glimpse of their newborn son.

Introducing the child, who was wrapped in a white shawl, Meghan said: "He has the sweetest temperament, he's really calm. He's been the dream."

As they both laughed, Prince Harry said: "I don't know who he gets that from."

The couple confirmed they will introduce the Queen to her eighth and newest great-grandchild later on.

Talking about their first few days as parents, Meghan said: "It's magic, it's pretty amazing. I have the two best guys in the world so I'm really happy."

The duke added: "It's great. Parenting is amazing.

"It's only been two and a half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy."

On which parent the baby resembled more, Harry said: "Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks.

"We're basically monitoring how the changing process happens over this next month really. But his looks are changing every single day, so who knows."

Later, asked to show more of their son's face to the cameras, Meghan laughed as Harry joked: "He's already got a little bit of facial hair as well, wonderful."

Meghan added: "Thank you everybody for all the well-wishes and kindness, it just means so much."

The infant, who is seventh in line to the throne, was delivered at 05:26 BST on Monday, with Harry saying after the birth that he and Meghan were "absolutely thrilled".

The Duke of Cambridge has welcomed his brother to "the sleep deprivation society that is parenting".

Prince William - a father-of-three - said he looked forward to seeing the new parents "when things have quietened down".

The Prince of Wales has also expressed his joy at the birth.

During an official visit to Germany with the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles said: "We couldn't be more delighted at the news and we're looking forward to meeting the baby when we return."

A statement added that Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, was "overjoyed at the arrival of her first grandchild" and was with her daughter at Frogmore Cottage - the new parents' home on the Windsor Estate.

Media playback is unsupported on your device

Buckingham Palace said Harry was present for the birth, which is understood to have taken place in hospital as opposed to at home.

The baby will not automatically become a prince - although he could get that title if the Queen steps in.

Harry and Meghan might otherwise want him to inherit one of Harry's titles, such as Earl of Dumbarton, or they could reject any royal title at all.

The baby weighed 7lbs 3oz (3.2kg), making him lighter than each of his cousins.

Prince George was 8lb 6oz (3.8kg) when he was born in July 2013. His sister Princess Charlotte was 8lbs 3oz (3.7kg) when she arrived in May 2015, while their younger brother Prince Louis weighed 8lb 7oz (3.8kg) when he was born in April last year.

The average weight of a baby in the UK is about 7lb 7oz (3.4kg).

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2019-05-08 11:41:24Z
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World reacts to Iran's decision to abandon parts of nuclear deal - Aljazeera.com

Iran has announced it will resume high-level enrichment of uranium if world powers do not keep their promises under a 2015 nuclear agreement.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the remaining signatories - the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China and Russia - had 60 days to implement their promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors from US sanctions.

He also announced that Iran would roll back some of its commitments under the deal.

Under the deal, signed in Vienna, Iran scaled back its uranium enrichment programme and promised not to pursue nuclear weapons.

The latest move came a year to the date United States President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the agreement.

Starting today, Iran does not keep its enriched uranium and produced heavy water limited. The EU/E3+2 will face Iran's further actions if they can not fulfill their obligations within the next 60 days and secure Iran's interests. Win-Win conditions will be accepted.

— Hassan Rouhani (@HassanRouhani) May 8, 2019

Since, the US has restored crippling economic sanctions on Iran, even as Tehran continued to abide by the accord, according to UN inspectors.

Here's a round-up of statements from around the world:

Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord has been complicated by "irresponsible behaviour" of Washington.

His remarks come before a meeting scheduled with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, in Moscow on Wednesday.

Lavrov said they would discuss the "unacceptable situation" that has been exacerbated by the US.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin remained committed to the agreement and that there were no alternatives "at the moment" to the deal. 

"Putin has repeatedly spoken about the consequences of ill-considered steps towards Iran, meaning the decision taken by Washington" to reimpose sanctions, Peskov said.

He said Russia would work with European countries to maintain the "continued viability" of the nuclear deal and that it was too early to discuss the possibility of Russia joining sanctions against Tehran.

"Putin has said that it is ill-conceived and arbitrary decisions that put unreasonable pressure on Iran and cause the adverse steps that we are facing."

China

China called on all parties to uphold the Iranian nuclear accord after Tehran said it would end curbs on its uranium enrichment stockpile unless other powers helped it bypass renewed US sanctions.

"Maintaining and implementing the comprehensive agreement is the shared responsibility of all parties," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang at a regular press briefing.

"We call on all relevant parties to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue, and avoid escalating tensions," he said, adding that China "resolutely opposes" unilateral US sanctions against Iran.

China is one of the six parties that signed the 2015 deal to lift nuclear-related sanctions on Iran.

Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed not to allow Iran to acquire nuclear arms after Tehran’s announcement.

"We will not allow Iran to achieve nuclear weaponry. We will continue to fight those who would kill us," Netanyahu said.

Israel's prime minister has been an outspoken critic of the 2015 agreement. He welcomed Trump's withdrawal from the deal last year. Netanyahu considers Iran to be Israel's greatest threat.

Netanyahu said Israel "will continue to fight those who seek to take our lives, and we will thrust our roots even deeper into the soil of our homeland".

Iran has denied ever seeking nuclear weapons, insisting its atomic programme is for entirely peaceful purposes.

European Union

The European Union is in an "assessment phase" after Rouhani informed the other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran will partially pull out of the agreement, a senior EU official said on condition of anonymity.

"The contents of the messages sent have to be analysed," he noted, adding that consultations would take place in the coming days between the remaining signatories of the deal.

EU foreign ministers will have the first opportunity to discuss the developments at regular talks in Brussels on Monday. Any EU decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran would have to be taken by all member states.

SOURCE: Al Jazeera and news agencies

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2019-05-08 10:49:00Z
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Exclusive: China backtracked on nearly all aspects of U.S. trade deal - sources - Reuters

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The diplomatic cable from Beijing arrived in Washington late on Friday night, with systematic edits to a nearly 150-page draft trade agreement that would blow up months of negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, according to three U.S. government sources and three private sector sources briefed on the talks.

FILE PHOTO: Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, right, looks as U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, center, swaps places with his Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during a photograph session before they proceed to their meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Wednesday, May 1, 2019. Andy Wong/Pool via REUTERS

The document was riddled with reversals by China that undermined core U.S. demands, the sources told Reuters.

In each of the seven chapters of the draft trade deal, China had deleted its commitments to change laws to resolve core complaints that caused the United States to launch a trade war: theft of U.S. intellectual property and trade secrets; forced technology transfers; competition policy; access to financial services; and currency manipulation.

U.S. President Donald Trump responded in a tweet on Sunday vowing to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 percent on Friday – timed to land in the middle of a scheduled visit by China’s Vice Premier Liu He to Washington to continue trade talks.

The stripping of binding legal language from the draft struck directly at the highest priority of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer - who views changes to Chinese laws as essential to verifying compliance after years of what U.S. officials have called empty reform promises.

Lighthizer has pushed hard for an enforcement regime more like those used for punitive economic sanctions – such as those imposed on North Korea or Iran – than a typical trade deal.

“This undermines the core architecture of the deal,” said a Washington-based source with knowledge of the talks.

“PROCESS OF NEGOTIATION”

Spokespeople for the White House, the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a briefing on Wednesday that working out disagreements over trade was a “process of negotiation” and that China was not “avoiding problems”.

Geng referred specific questions on the trade talks to the Commerce Ministry, which did not respond immediately to faxed questions from Reuters.

Lighthizer and U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin were taken aback at the extent of the changes in the draft. The two cabinet officials on Monday told reporters that Chinese backtracking had prompted Trump’s tariff order but did not provide details on the depth and breadth of the revisions.

Liu last week told Lighthizer and Mnuchin that they needed to trust China to fulfil its pledges through administrative and regulatory changes, two of the sources said. Both Mnuchin and Lighthizer considered that unacceptable, given China’s history of failing to fulfil reform pledges.

One private-sector source briefed on the talks said the last round of negotiations had gone very poorly because “China got greedy”.

“China reneged on a dozen things, if not more ... The talks were so bad that the real surprise is that it took Trump until Sunday to blow up,” the source said.

“After 20 years of having their way with the U.S., China still appears to be miscalculating with this administration.”

FURTHER TALKS THIS WEEK

The rapid deterioration of negotiations rattled global stock markets, bonds and commodities this week. Until Sunday, markets had priced in the expectation that officials from the two countries were close to striking a deal.

Investors and analysts questioned whether Trump’s tweet was a negotiating ploy to wring more concessions from China. The sources told Reuters the extent of the setbacks in the revised text were serious and that Trump’s response was not merely a negotiating strategy.

Chinese negotiators said they couldn’t touch the laws, said one of the government sources, calling the changes “major.”

Changing any law in China requires a unique set of processes that can’t be navigated quickly, said a Chinese official familiar with the talks. The official disputed the assertion that China was backtracking on its promises, adding that U.S. demands were becoming more “harsh” and the path to a deal more “narrow” as the negotiations drag on.

Liu is set to arrive in Washington on Thursday for two days of talks that just last week were widely seen as pivotal – a possible last round before a historic trade deal. Now, U.S. officials have little hope that Liu will come bearing any offer that can get talks back on track, said two of the sources.

To avert escalation, some of the sources said, Liu would have to scrap China’s proposed text changes and agree to make new laws. China would also have to move further towards the U.S. position on other sticking points, such as demands for curbs on Chinese industrial subsidies and a streamlined approval process for genetically engineered U.S. crops.

The administration said the latest tariff escalation would take effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, hiking levees on Chinese products such as internet modems and routers, printed circuit boards, vacuum cleaners and furniture.

The Chinese reversal may give China hawks in the Trump administration, including Lighthizer, an opening to take a harder stance.

Mnuchin - who has been more open to a deal with improved market access, and at times clashed with Lighthizer – appeared in sync with Lighthizer in describing the changes to reporters on Monday, while still leaving open the possibility that new tariffs could be averted with a deal.

Trump’s tweets left no room for backing down, and Lighthizer made it clear that, despite continuing talks, “come Friday, there will be tariffs in place.”

Additional reporting by Chris Prentice in NEW YORK, and Jing Xu and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING; Editing by Simon Webb and Brian Thevenot

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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2019-05-08 08:52:00Z
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Iranian leader announces partial withdrawal from nuclear deal - CNN

President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech Wednesday that Iran would reduce its "commitments" to the deal, but would not fully withdraw.

The move comes a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the deal, over the stringent objections of other signatories. Rouhani said those signatories -- France, Britain, Germany, Russia and China -- had been informed in advance of Tehran's move.

He accused "hardliners" in the US of working to undermine the deal, saying it was "in the interests of the region and the world, but not the enemies of Iran, therefore they spared no effort since 2015 to undermine (the deal)."

Under the agreement, Iran was permitted to stockpile limited amounts enriched uranium and heavy water produced in that process, exporting any excess. Doing so has become extremely difficult after the US revoked waivers that allowed Iran to export those excess stockpiles, effectively forcing Iran to halt enrichment or ignore the limits, which it is now doing.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran declares that at the current stage, it does not any more see itself committed to respecting the limitations on keeping enriched uranium and heavy water reserves," Iran's Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said in a statement carried by the semi-official Fars news agency.

The SNSC said other partners would have 60 days to alleviate pressure on Iran caused by subsequent US sanctions, otherwise the country "will cease implementation of restrictions on uranium enrichment levels and measures related to the modernization of Arak Heavy Water Reactor as well."

"Once our demands are met, we will resume implementation of the ceased undertakings. Otherwise, the Islamic Republic of Iran will stop compliance with its other undertakings in consequent phases," the SNSC said.

On Twitter, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that the country was stopping measures that Washington "has made impossible to continue."

"Our action is within the terms of (the deal)," said Zarif adding that the other signatories had "a narrowing window to reverse this."

Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has always maintained that its nuclear research is purely civilian in nature.

Trump turnaround

The deal with Iran was widely hailed as a major diplomatic victory by the Barack Obama administration, but one that was immediately criticized by his successor.

Last year, US President Donald Trump withdrew his country from the deal, saying it was "defective at its core" and reimposing sanctions. Since then, anti-Iran hawks within his administration, particularly Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton, have been ramping up pressure on Tehran.

This week, Pompeo made a surprise visit to Iran's neighbor Iraq, where he accused Tehran of making military moves, including transporting short- and medium-range ballistic missiles aboard boats in the Persian Gulf, much of which falls within Iranian territorial waters or the country's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Speaking to reporters, Pompeo said he discussed the "threat stream we had seen" from Iran and stressed "the importance of Iraq ensuring that it's able to adequately protect Americans in their country."

The US Defense Department is now considering sending additional firepower to the region, including anti-missile defense systems, according to several US officials with knowledge of the situation.

Pompeo is a proponent of a "maximum pressure" approach to Iran, and in the past has appeared to support regime change in Tehran, such as in a speech last year in which he said the goal of the US was "to get the Iranian regime to behave like a normal nation."

Since then, the US has reintroduced all nuclear-related sanctions among a slew of other punitive measures. In the past month, it has moved to cut off Iran's oil revenues, its chief source of foreign income, put curbs on its civilian nuclear work, and designated Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, the elite military group with deep political and economic influence, as a terrorist entity.

What was the original deal?

Officially titled the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, the nuclear deal was intended to limit Iran's civilian energy program -- thereby preventing it from developing nuclear weapons at some point in the future -- in exchange for relief from sanctions that were crippling the Iranian economy.

The deal was struck in Vienna following two years of intensive talks orchestrated by the Obama administration. It was signed by Iran and six other nations in 2015 -- the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany. The accord was also enshrined in a UN Security Council resolution, making it international law.

Under the deal, the Iranian government agreed to three key things:

Reducing the number of its centrifuges by two-thirds (centrifuges are tube-shaped machines used to enrich uranium, the material necessary for nuclear power); slashing its stockpile of enriched uranium by 98%; and capping uranium enrichment at 3.67% -- enough to continue powering parts of the country's energy needs, but not enough to ever build a nuclear bomb.

In addition, Iran was required to limit uranium research and development, and allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certain access to its civilian nuclear facilities.

In return for its compliance, all nuclear-related sanctions on Iran were lifted in January 2016, reconnecting the country's stagnating economy with international markets.

CNN's Steve George and Nicole Gaouette contributed reporting.

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2019-05-08 07:52:00Z
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