Rouhani: Iran enriching more uranium than before 2015 deal - Al Jazeera English

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that his country is enriching more uranium than Tehran did before it agreed to a nuclear deal with world powers in 2015.

"We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached ... Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress," Rouhani said on Thursday in a televised speech.

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Iran has gradually scaled back its commitments under the nuclear deal, signed with the US, China, Russia, Germany, France and the UK, in retaliation for Washington's withdrawal from the pact in 2018 and its reimposition of sanctions that have crippled the country's economy.

Earlier in the week, the United Kingdom, France and Germany challenged Tehran over breaking the limits set out in the deal. 

Inside the base targeted by Iranian missiles

The European nations announced that they triggered the dispute mechanism provided for in the landmark agreement in order to force Tehran to honour its commitments under the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

On Thursday the EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell held "frank" direct talks with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in New Delhi.

"In a frank dialogue, they discussed the latest developments around the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," the European Union said in a statement.

The face-to-face talks on the sidelines of a conference were the first following a series of telephone calls since a US drone strike killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani on January 3.

EU officials have said Iran already expressed anger at the European move by telephone.

'Prevent military confrontation'

Tensions in the region have simmered in recent months after a series of attacks in the Gulf region that the US blamed on Iran and aligned groups, despite denials from Tehran.

Fears of a military escalation soared in early January after the assassination of Soleimani in an air strike in Baghdad, prompting Iran to fire a barrage of missiles at a military base housing US troops in Iraq.

In his speech on Thursday, Rouhani said that the Iranian retaliation - which caused significant material damage but no casualties according to the US military - had strengthened Iranian deterrence against the "threats" of US President Donald Trump.

But despite the continuing tensions, Rouhani said Tehran was working daily "to prevent military confrontation and war" and that dialogue with the world remained "possible".

The 2015 nuclear deal imposed restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme in exchange for a reprieve from international sanctions.

After unilaterally withdrawing, the US has reimposed a range of sanctions on Tehran and called for negotiations over a new accord.

Iran has rejected the idea of negotiating a new deal while it is under sanctions.

In response to the US move, Tehran has begun enriching uranium above the cap agreed in the deal and taken further steps to enhance its nuclear programme, while also accusing the European parties to the deal of failing to live up to their own commitments to provide economic relief to Tehran.

Iran had been enriching uranium at 20 percent purity before it signed the deal, which capped enrichment at 3.67 percent.

Al Jazeera's Assed Baig reporting from Tehran said that Rouhani had sent a defiant message to the world, saying that Iran is reducing committments, but also adding that these reductions are reversible if European countries return to their obligations to that deal.

"He's saying to European countries that they need to stand up to the US," Baig said.

"These sanctions have hit Iran's oil sector, the banking sector and the economy and he accepted this - that Iran's oil exports have been reduced, but the economy is still working, according to Rouhani."

Rouhani defended the 2015 nuclear deal in his speech saying, "we have proven in practice that it is possible for us to interact with the world".

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2020-01-16 10:55:00Z
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Putin's political rival reacts to Russian government's resignation - CNN

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2020-01-16 10:27:44Z
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Iran's Rouhani: Tehran now enriching more uranium than before Obama-era nuclear deal - Fox News

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech Thursday that Tehran is now enriching more uranium than before it agreed to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

IRAN THREATENS EUROPEAN SOLDIERS, 'COULD BE IN DANGER'

“We are enriching more uranium before the deal was reached,” Rouhani said, according to The Associated Press. “Pressure has increased on Iran but we continue to progress.''

“We have no limits on the nuclear file, and we are increasing enrichment every day,” he added, according to a tweet from the Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen Channel, which was publishing updates from the speech.

The remarks come after Britain, France, and Germany, which signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, sent a letter to the European Union’s foreign policy chief on Tuesday saying that they are triggering its “dispute mechanism” – which begins a process that could result in the U.N. restoring sanctions it previously lifted under the deal.

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Trump withdrew U.S. support from the deal in May 2018 and has since gradually reimposed sanctions on Iran. As part of its response to the U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran announced that it would no longer respect limits set on how many centrifuges it can use to enrich uranium.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2020-01-16 08:47:24Z
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Will Meghan Markle Bring Back 'The Tig' Now That She's Stepping Back As a Royal? - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry shook up the whole world when they recently revealed that they would be taking a step back and retiring as senior royals in order to focus on other projects. They revealed that starting their own charity is on the agenda, as well as taking steps towards becoming financially independent.

The royal couple did not state exactly how they plan to make their own income, leading royal watchers everywhere to do some serious speculation. Some believe Meghan will return to her former career, while others wonder if her special side-project will make a comeback in a monetized form.

Why are Meghan Markle and Prince Harry retiring as senior royals?

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“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen. It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment. We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.” – The Duke and Duchess of Sussex For more information, please visit sussexroyal.com (link in bio) Image © PA

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on Jan 8, 2020 at 10:33am PST

On January 8th, Meghan and Prince Harry posted a statement to their Instagram account. They announced their decision to “make a transition” by stepping back as senior royals.

Their statement revealed that they want to “work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.” They detailed how they plan to split their time between North America and the United Kingdom. This will, according to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will enable them to raise their young son, Archie Harrison, with an appreciation for both his heritage and the world at large.

It is clear they want to provide a better life for their son, but it is also likely that the relentless media pressure over the past year has had at least a hand in influencing their decision. Meghan has undergone intense scrutiny, with the British tabloids questioning her every move.

Prince Harry has tirelessly defended her, with his own reputation taking a hit in the process. By stepping back, the couple will be less obligated to speak to the media directly and will be able to share announcements via their Instagram page.

What is ‘The Tig’?

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex | Samir Hussein/WireImage

Before she met and married Prince Harry, Meghan was an actress, who had a leading role in the TV series Suits. Meghan was also a leading influencer on social media and loved to interact with her fans and followers.

In 2014, Meghan launched her very own lifestyle website called The Tig. The site featured Meghan’s favorite things, such as wine and beauty products, and gave her followers a glimpse into her day-to-day routine. Frequently, Meghan would share her treasured recipes and her favorite places to visit while traveling, as well as interviews with other celebrities and influencers.

In early 2017, a few months after beginning her romantic relationship with Prince Harry, Meghan shut down the website. While sources close to Meghan denied that the website shutting down had anything to do with Prince Harry and that she wanted to devote more of her time to humanitarian causes, it was clear that her new involvement with the royal family was at least partially responsible. 

Will Meghan Markle bring back ‘The Tig’?

There has been a lot of speculation in recent days that Meghan could return to acting as a way to make money once she and Prince Harry officially separate from the royal family.

While Meghan hasn’t said anything regarding a future in film or television, it seems more likely at this point that she and her husband will concentrate their efforts on public speaking, writing, and other humanitarian outreach efforts. While Meghan has reportedly signed on to do voiceover work for a Disney project, it’s not a monetized endeavor: the voiceover work is in exchange for a donation to a charity called Elephants Without Borders.

Still, it is possible Meghan will make some sort of return to the online space, and once she is no longer a senior member of the royal family, the guidelines that she has to follow will become less strict. With her new reach, Meghan could make Tig even more successful and monetize it so its revenue can help charities that are important to her.

Even if she doesn’t re-open The Tig, she could establish some other sort of direct outreach to followers and fans. After all, their Instagram page has become incredibly popular, and the couple has proven that they prefer to directly share information themselves, rather than relying on some outside source to disseminate information. 

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2020-01-16 08:00:16Z
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Rouhani warns foreign forces in Middle East 'may be in danger' - Al Jazeera English

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has told foreign powers to withdraw their forces from the Middle East, warning that they "may be in danger" if they remain in the region.

"Today, the American soldier is in danger, tomorrow the European soldier could be in danger," Hassan Rouhani said in televised remarks on Wednesday, without elaborating.

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The comments came a day after the United Kingdom, France and Germany challenged Tehran over breaking limits of a major nuclear deal signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers.

The European nations announced on Tuesday that they triggered the dispute mechanism provided for in the landmark agreement in order to force Tehran to honour its commitments under the accord, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew in 2018. 

Rouhani's comments mark the first time he has threatened European countries amid heightened tensions with the US.

Friction in the region escalated in recent months after a series of attacks in the Gulf region that Washington blamed on Iran and its proxies, over Iranian denials. Fears of an all-out war emerged earlier in January after a US air strike killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad, prompting retaliatory Iranian missile strikes against US targets in Iraq.

Nuclear deal

Separately, Rouhani also dismissed a proposal for a new "Trump deal" to replace the JCPOA, saying it was a "strange" offer and criticising the US president for breaking promises. 

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has praised Trump as a great dealmaker, called on Tuesday for Trump to replace the Iranian nuclear deal with his own new pact to ensure the Islamic republic does not get an atomic weapon - Iran has pledged that it does not seek the bomb.

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"Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, @BorisJohnson, stated, 'We should replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal,'" Trump said in a tweet. "I agree!" 

Trump in May 2018 withdrew the US from the deal, in which Tehran had agreed to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for a reprieve from international sanctions. The US has since reimposed a range of sanctions on Tehran and called for negotiations over a new accord.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, @BorisJohnson, stated, “We should replace the Iran deal with the Trump deal.” I agree!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 15, 2020

In response to the US move, Tehran has begun uranium enrichment again and enhancing its nuclear programme, while also accusing the European parties to the deal of failing to live up to their own commitments to provide economic relief to Tehran.

Reporting from Tehran, Al Jazeera's Assed Baig said Rouhani urged the European powers to live up to their commitments in the nuclear deal and not give in to US demands.

"Rouhani stressed that all the steps Iran took in response to the US withdrawal from the deal were reversible," Baig said.

"He said this is a good deal for Iran, but Tehran would keep fulfilling its commitments only if European parties to the deal do so as well."

Separately on Wednesday, Iranain Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the European parties to the deal of violating its terms.

"They are not buying oil from us, all of their companies have withdrawn from Iran. So Europe is in violation," Zarif told a conference in New Delhi, saying the future of the deal now "depends on Europe".

He added that the European Union "is the largest global economy. So why do you allow the United States to bully you around?"

Zarif also said that the US killing of Soleimani had served only to strengthen the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) group.

"I think the war against Daesh [ISIL] just suffered a major setback, and Daesh just won a major victory," he said.

He also implied that the crisis sparked by the killing of Soleimani had contributed to Iran's accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner on January 8, killing all 176 people on board.

"Why did it happen? Because there was a crisis. People make mistakes, unforgivable mistakes, but it happened in the time of the crisis," Zarif said.

Later on Wednesday, Iranian state media said the British ambassador to Iran had left the country, amid a dispute over his attendance at an anti-government demonstration. The state-run IRNA news agency reported that Robert Macaire had left Iran after being given "prior notice".

The British foreign office said that Macaire's trip to London was "routine, business as usual" and was pre-planned.

"It is quite normal for our ambassadors to come back to London to have meetings here," a foreign office spokesman said.

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2020-01-15 12:48:00Z
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Iran threatens Europeans soldiers, 'could be in danger' - Fox News

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned in a televised speech Wednesday that European soldiers – not just Americans – “could be in danger” after leaders in Britain, France and Germany began the so-called “dispute process” for the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal with world powers.

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL: EUROPEAN POWERS SAY ISLAMIC REPUBLIC 'NOT MEETING' TERMS, THREATEN MORE SANCTIONS

"Today, the American soldier is in danger, tomorrow the European soldier could be in danger,” Rouhani said in a televised speech before his Cabinet. He did not elaborate.

The remarks came after Britain, France, and Germany, which signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015, sent a letter to the European Union’s foreign policy chief that they are triggering its “dispute mechanism” – which begins a process that could result in the U.N. restoring sanctions it previously lifted under the deal.

Iran had gradually been rolling back its commitment after President Trump in May 2018 pulled U.S. support from the deal negotiated by his predecessor, President Obama. As part of its response to the U.S. airstrike that killed top Iranian Quds Force Gen. Qassem Soleimani, Iran announced that it would no longer respect limits set on how many centrifuges it can use to enrich uranium.

The Europeans felt compelled to act, despite objections from Russia and China, because every violation of the deal reduces the so-called “breakout time” Iran needs to produce a nuclear bomb, Britain’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Parliament.

Rouhani’s speech came amid days of widespread anti-government protests in Tehran that erupted in the capital city after Iran admitted “in error” it shot down a Ukrainian jetliner last week, killing all 176 onboard.

The British ambassador in Tehran was also detained for a few hours over the weekend for allegedly participating in demonstrations.

“In the last few nights, we’ve had people in the streets of Tehran demonstrating against the fact that they were lied to for a couple of days,” Iran's top diplomat, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said at a conference in New Delhi before praising Iran's military for being “brave enough to claim responsibility early on."

In his speech Wednesday at the Raisina Dialogue in India, Zarif blamed U.S. “ignorance” and “arrogance” for “fueling mayhem” in the Middle East.

He added that he and Rouhani didn’t learn until Friday that an Iranian anti-ballistic had caused the crash that happened two days prior on Jan. 8 – something that, according to The Associated Press, raises questions over how much power Iran's civilian government has in its Shiite theocracy.

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Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which shot down the aircraft, knew immediately afterward its missile downed the airline.

The Guard is answerable only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is expected to preside over Friday prayers in Iran for the first time in years over anger about the crash.

The plane crash happened hours after Iran launched a ballistic missile attack targeting two bases in Iraq housing U.S. and coalition service members to avenge Soleimani’s death.

Fox News' Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2020-01-15 10:12:08Z
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Desolate images from Taal Volcano show horses and cows buried in ash - CNN

Ignoring government warnings to keep away, a number of residents who lived by the foot of the volcano have gone back to tend or rescue their animals.

Stark pictures show pigs, horses, cows, and birds -- their hair, fur and feathers coated with thick ash -- being carried to relative safety, while Taal Volcano, the second most active in the Philippines, smoulders in the background.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said Wednesday morning that the volcano remains at alert level four out of a possible five, meaning an "explosive eruption is possible within hours to days."

The volcano, about 37 miles (60 kilometers) south of the capital Manila on the island of Luzon, began erupting on Sunday, sending ash up to nine miles (14 kilometers) into the air and prompting large-scale evacuations.

Mirra Lipaopao, 27, said she didn't hear the rumblings of the volcano but at around 5 p.m. saw the mud and charcoal-like matter rain down.

"I panicked," she told CNN from a gymnasium that has been turned into an evacuation center in Tanauan. "I grabbed my partner and kid to get out of the house and we just ran as far as we could."

Lipaopao said they went back to their home on Monday and found it was covered in ash and mud. They began cleaning but successive tremors jolted the ground so they returned to the shelter.

Three days after the eruption began, volcanic activity around Taal is ongoing. Fountains of lava generate dark gray, steam-laden plumes up to 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) high. Fissures or cracks have opened up in several areas and 466 earthquakes have been recorded since Sunday. Volcanologists warn that further eruptions are possible.

"These new strong, continuous earthquakes that we are now experiencing are due to fissuring, which means that there really is magma that is still making its way out of Taal," Mariton Bornas, chief of volcano monitoring and eruption at PHIVOLCS said on Tuesday.

Those still within or returning to the immediate dangerous zone within a 14-kilometer (8.7 miles) radius around the volcano risk tremors, fissures and the threat of a sudden pyroclastic flow.

"As soon as you have lava being erupted into the system, it just takes some water infiltrating to create an explosive system. Or for the later magma to be more gas-charged that it is currently," said David Phillips, head of the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Melbourne, Australia.

Other hazards include potential mudslides caused by rain washing piles of unconsolidated ash and the threat of the volcano's slopes slumping into the lake, which could cause a tsunami.

"There is any number of hazards associated with volcanoes. The risk of any one of those might be fairly low but it has shown significant activity lately -- so it's time for caution," said Phillips.

Almost half a million people live within the 14 kilometer (8.7 miles) dangerous zone and PHIVOLCS has requested a "total evacuation" of everyone in this area, and issued advisory warnings for those in a larger area of 17 kilometers (10.6 miles).

Around 44,000 people from Batangas and Cavite provinces have sought shelter in 217 temporary evacuation centers set up by authorities. The total number of evacuees could be higher, with some choosing to stay with family members and relatives in other parts of the country.

Some towns, such as Talisay on the banks of Lake Taal, have been placed under lock down by police and fire services, and evacuations are being enforced, according to National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) spokesperson Mark Timbal.

"The advice to people who are trying to go back is to follow the call of the government and the agencies, and that is to avoid going back," Timbal said.

One big concern for those in the vicinity is the potential health risks of breathing in the toxic volcanic ash -- which carries microscopic shards of glass -- that has blanketed everything in sight.

"(The shards of glass) are hazardous to lungs," said Joseph Michalski, director of the Earth and Planetary Science division at the University of Hong Kong. "You don't want stuff like that in your lungs. It can get lodged in there and make you quite ill."

International aid group Save the Children said in a statement that small children in evacuation centers were suffering from respiratory illnesses such as colds and coughs.

In the city of Tanauan about 730 people are staying in a gymnasium that has been converted into an evacuation center. Families are living in cramped conditions and sleeping on the hard floor.

The sudden eruption on Sunday caught people off guard and many families fled wearing the clothes they were in and carried little to no possessions.

Because of the ongoing threat of another, bigger eruption, no one knows when they will be able to return home or what they will find when they get there.

Many of their livelihoods have been destroyed.

Timbal said that activity had been recorded at the volcano as early as March last year and that residents and local government units were aware that "a state of preparedness" was in place. But "the speed of escalation was unexpected," he said.

Some locals living on or near the volcano, many of them poor laborers or farmers, made money from offering horse rides to tourists. Others built their livelihoods farming the fertile soils that are associated with many volcanoes or fishing tawilis or "live sardines" only found in Batangas province.

The volcano is surrounded by a lake, which is a popular attraction and many of the towns in the vicinity are tourism hot spots. There are several amusement parks, lakeside resorts and yacht clubs nearby.

The holiday town of Tagaytay, which lies close to the water's edge, is a popular getaway for Manila residents who often take boats onto the lake and hike up the volcano.

"Many of these landscapes are very beautiful and people want to go visit them," said Phillips. "It's beautiful but it's also potentially deadly -- it's that fatal attraction."

CNN's Yasmin Coles contributed to reporting from Manila, Philippines.

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2020-01-15 10:02:00Z
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