Moscow, Jan 6 (IANS): The Russian Foreign Ministry said that the US is responsible for Iran's recent decision of enriching uranium to 20 per cent.

The Iranian move was "a deviation" from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, but the "root cause" of such deviations is the "systematic gross violations" of international obligations by the US, the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

The US, contrary to Article 25 of the UN Charter, does not comply with the UN Security Council Resolution 2231 and deliberately creates obstacles to its implementation for other countries, the ministry said.

According to Moscow, enriching uranium to 20 per cent has nothing to do with Iran's compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), the Xinhua news agency reported.

All material enriched up to 20 per cent is under the control of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which does not record its switch to the use for undeclared purposes that go against the NPT, the statement read.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran announced late on Monday that the 20-per cent enriched uranium had started at its Fordow facility and had reached the stability level.

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the Iranian nuclear deal and reimposed harsh sanctions against Iran. In response, Tehran has gradually dropped some of its JCPOA commitments since May 2019.