Iran ramps up uranium enrichment and seizes tanker as tensions rise with US

Iran announced Monday that it had resumed enriching uranium to 20% purity, far beyond the limits laid out in the 2015 nuclear deal, in a move likely to further escalate tensions with the United States.

Iran also seized a South Korean-flagged chemical tanker on Monday, according to semi-official Iranian news agencies, for "creating environmental and chemical pollution in the Persian Gulf." Both moves came a day after the one-year anniversary of the US killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, and less than three weeks before the end of Donald Trump's presidency.