UN watchdog: Iran moving forward with advanced centrifuges

The United Nation’s atomic watchdog agency said Monday that Iran is moving forward with plans to use more advanced centrifuges in a development that would further breach the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with major powers, The Associated Press reported. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency said that its inspectors verified the installation of new centrifuges, which Iran had already announced it would create.

{mosads}The agency said that all the centrifuges had been “prepared for testing,” but had not been tested at the time of the Sept. 7-8 inspection, according to the AP.

The new centrifuges mark Iran’s latest violation of the nuclear deal as Tehran tries to pressure European signatories to find a way to maintain oil shipments and ease the damage of U.S. sanctions on its economy.

President Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from the Obama-era agreement, which promised sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbs to its nuclear program.

As a result, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran, while European nations have continued to negotiate with Tehran.

Iran has said that it will ramp up its nuclear activity if negotiations with Europe fail.