TRIGGER POINT?: Iran Announces Further Increase in Uranium Enrichment

UPDATE BELOW: IT'S OVER 4.5%

Iran said on Sunday that within hours it would breach the limits on uranium enrichment set four years ago in an accord with the United States and other international powers, reports The New York Times.

But it is difficult to see how this could be considered a violation of the deal reached under President Obama, since President Trump withdrew the United States from the accord last year and has since put on sanctions against Iran intended to cut off its oil sales anywhere in the world, and recently increased sanctions including against Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The US is also muscling European countries to comply with the sanctions.

And recently a tanker filled with Iranian oil bound for Syria was seized off the coast of Gibraltar by Britain and Gibraltar military personnel in a joint action conducted at the request of the US.

But, as evidenced by the new announcement, Iran is not backing down. No doubt the war hawks in Trump's administration led by John Bolton will be calling for a military strike.

The only way this may not result in tit-for-tat military action and escalation is if Trump, as rumored, replaces Bolton as national security adviser with the dovish retired Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor.

From Atlantic:

Macgregor served in the first Gulf War and appears to be ideologically aligned with [Tucker] Carlson, favoring retrenchment from the Middle East and good relations with authoritarian states.

No doubt the many actors from Saudi Arabia, to Israel to the neocons, who want to see US military action against Iran, know this is maybe their best opportunity to get Trump to attack, while Bolton continues as part of the administration and Iran is escalating.

If a false flag was ever to be launched by one or more of the players that want Trump to attack, this is prime time.

-RW

UPDATE

BREAKING: Monday morning Iran's IAEA announces Iran’s uranium enrichment level now at 4.5% which surpasses deal limit of 3.67%.