Iran to announce new steps to reduce its commitments under nuclear deal

Tehran officially stopped some commitments under the 2015 agreement last month

Iran's heavy water nuclear facility near the central city of Arak. AP / ISNA
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Iran will on Monday announce new measures to reduce Tehran's commitments under the landmark 2015 nuclear deal signed with world powers, according to a its semi-official news agency Tasnim.

"Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation tomorrow at the Arak heavy water site will announce preparatory steps that have been taken to further decrease Tehran's commitments under the deal," the agency reported.

The move comes after it officially stopped some commitments under the agreement last month in protest at US President Donald Trump's decision to leave the accord in May 2018. Iran is to retain its excess heavy water and enriched uranium instead of sell it on to other countries, as the deal requires.

Since that decision on May 15, tensions have continued to rise following a new attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman that the US and Saudi Arabia have blamed on the Islamic republic. The US blamed Iran for a similar attack on four tankers off the coast of the UAE on May 12.

Washington has reimposed crippling unilateral sanctions on Tehran – targeting crucial parts of Iran's economy, especially the banking and oil sectors – and launched a military buildup in the Gulf.