"Western countries from the very beginning violated the [Iran nuclear] deal and ultimately Trump tore up the deal," Mohammad Marandi, a political analyst and professor at Tehran University, told Sputnik. "So it is not Iran's fault that we are where we are today."
"But instead of accepting the fact that they are to blame, the West wants Iran to be under maximum-pressure sanctions," he added, with the aim of halting "many parts of its peaceful nuclear program."
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) ordered the use of advanced centrifuges on November 22 to step up the enrichment of uranium. That was in response to the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) resolution condemning Tehran for "failing to cooperate" with the nuclear watchdog.
The motion submitted by the US, UK, France and Germany got 19 out of 35 votes on the IAEA Board of Governors. Russia, China and Burkina-Faso voted against, and 12 states abstained.
The AEOI denounced the resolution as "politically-motivated, unrealistic, and counterproductive," adding that technical and safety cooperation with the IAEA will continue, as in the past.
The pundit argued that Iran has not violated international law and has always operated within the framework of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and IAEA regulations.
"Iran does not have any intention to build a nuclear weapons," Marandi said, accusing the US of making the IAEA a tool of coercion.
By increasing the enrichment of uranium "the Iranians are sending a clear message to the West that they won't be intimidated and that if the West tries to use the IAEA to put pressure on Iran, Iran will make sure that Western countries pay a price for this," the professor stressed.
"The West is on the decline, but they continue to think that they dominate the world," he said. "They have always played a very negative role in our region."