Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

Iranian Ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad has warned that influential figures in Iran are advocating leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which means it will give up all international obligations relating to nuclear weapons.

Spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Abbas Mousavi said on Sunday that Iran has made no decision yet on leaving the NPT and has worked out several scenarios. Iran began constructing a second nuclear reactor at the Bushehr plant last Sunday after it began increasing uranium enrichment beyond the level agreed in the NPT.

Inside Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant  (photo: Reuters)

A spokesperson for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization said Iran has begun enriching uranium past the limit of 3.67% and the level of enrichment surpassed 4.5% on Monday. Iran has repeatedly warned of loosening its compliance with the 2015 deal that Washington pulled out of last year.  Iran said it would increase uranium enrichment if the deal's European signatories did not help ease the sanctions on its banking and oil sectors.

In early July, Iran broke through the 300-kg ceiling of uranium reserves. Its enriched uranium production is now 5kg per day, up from 450g two months ago. It claims to now have 500 kg of low-enriched uranium. Iranian officials say they are trying to push their European trade partners to find a comprehensive solution for Iran, not to break the deal. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said Iran will continue to breach the nuclear deal if the EU fails to help.