Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, May 10, 2019 – Keyhan daily, the hardline newspaper close to the Iranian regime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei criticized the statement issued by the mullahs’ Supreme National Security Council which according to the paper “was issued a year late” and an empty gesture by the council and "inoperable".
“According to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is at 163.8 kilograms instead of 300 kilograms. The amount of heavy water is under 130 tons. Therefore the very first items recorded in our National Security Council statement is inoperable,” Keyhan daily wrote on May 9 in an article aimed at criticizing Rouhani’s faction.
“The very two elements that Iran has put forward as first steps to refrain from implementing its end of the bargain (not stockpiling enriched uranium and heavy water) are measures that were previously prohibited by the U.S. Therefore it can’t be assumed as a punitive measure. It is unfortunate that [the mullahs’ foreign minister] Zarif tweets ‘Iran has stopped taking measures that the US has made its implementation impossible,’” Shariatmadari, the chief editor of Keyhan daily wrote. “This comment by Mr. Zarif could lead the enemy to make this mistake that the recent statement by the National Security Council is not a serious matter.”
“The very first move that is indicated in the statement is not practicable. Whereas, we could have indicated that we will start enriching uranium up to 20% and/or using IR8 uranium enrichment advance centrifuges as to the first step,” Keyhan wrote.
Insisting on the lack of adherence to the JCPOA obligations by member states such as Europe and the US for the past year, Keyhan considered the statement by Iran’s National Security Council as a minimum for the regime’s demands. The daily suggested that it would have been better if it was mentioned as early as last year adding; “the announcement after 12 months is slow enough by itself not needing an additional 60 days moratorium to the western countries.”
