Iran could boost uranium enrichment to 60 percent: Khamenei

Remarks come as European powers, US in disagreement with Iran over how to restore nuclear deal.

Tehran, Iran – Iran could boost its uranium enrichment to a purity of 60 percent if the country needs it, Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei said, upping the stakes in a standoff with the West over the country’s 2015 nuclear deal. “We are determined to gain nuclear capabilities proportionate to the country’s needs and for this reason, the limit for Iran’s enrichment won’t be 20 percent,” Khamenei was quoted as saying in a speech on Monday to members of the Assembly of Experts. “Iran will act to whatever level is necessary. For instance, for nuclear advancement, we might even increase it to 60 percent.”