DUBAI: Iran on Monday began enriching uranium up to 20pc at an underground facility and seized a South Korean-flagged oil tanker in the crucial Strait of Hormuz, further escalating tensions in the Middle East between Tehran and the West.

The announcement of enrichment at Fordo came as fears rose that Tehran had seized the MT Hankuk Chemi. Iran later acknowledged the seizure, alleging the vessel’s oil pollution sparked the move. However, hours earlier, Tehran said a South Korean diplomat was expected to visit in the coming days to negotiate the release of billions of dollars in its assets now frozen in Seoul.

The dual incidents come amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States in the waning days of President Donald Trump’s term in office. During Trump’s tenure, the US leader unilaterally withdrew from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018 and set off months of tense episodes that increasingly strained relations between the countries.

Iranian state television quoted spokesman Ali Rabiei as saying that President Hassan Rouhani had given the order for the move at the Fordo facility.

Iran’s decision to begin enriching to 20pc purity a decade ago nearly triggered an Israeli strike targeting its nuclear facilities, tensions that only abated with the 2015 atomic deal. A resumption of 20pc enrichment could see that brinksmanship return as that level of purity is only a technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90pc.

From Israel, which has its own undeclared nuclear weapons programme, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized Iran’s enrichment decision, saying it cannot be explained in any way other than the continuation of realising its goal to develop a military nuclear programme.

“Israel will not allow Iran to manufacture a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Tehran has long maintained its nuclear programme is peaceful. The US State Department says that as late as last year, it continued to assess that Iran is not currently engaged in key activities associated with the design and development of a nuclear weapon.

Iran’s move comes after its parliament passed a bill, later approved by a constitutional watchdog, aimed at hiking enrichment to pressure Europe into providing sanctions relief.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2021