Iran uranium enrichment passes 4.5%, exceeding deal cap: media

Iran's uranium enrichment level passed 4.5% on Monday, exceeding the 2015 nuclear deal cap, Iranian atomic energy organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said according to the semi-official ISNA News Agency.

"This morning Iran passed the 4.5% level in uranium enrichment... this level of purity completely satisfies the power plant fuel requirements of the country," Kamalvandi added.

Tehran said Sunday it would implement the breach of the uranium enrichment cap "in a few hours." It first announced the intention to do this in May, a year after the U.S. unilaterally abandoned the multilateral deal.

The pact's European signatories have urged Tehran to halt its advance toward breaching the uranium cap.

"We strongly urge Iran to stop and reverse all activities that are inconsistent with the commitments made under the JCPOA," EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic told reporters on Monday. JCPOA is an abbreviation for the deal's formal name: the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

But Iran says it has lost patience following the reimposition of sanctions by Washington.

Iran on Sunday threatened to abandon further commitments under the landmark deal in 60 days.