They've been overshadowed by the chaos at the government headquarters this evening, but an estimated 550,000 people took part in the peaceful pro-democracy march today.
That figure comes from the organizers of the July 1 march, the Civil Human Rights Front.
It marks a huge surge in year-on-year attendance, and is more than 10 times the 50,000 people estimated to have marched on July 1, 2018.
Police, however, said an estimated 190,000 people took part in today's march.
Images from the protest showed young and old people marching side-by-side. Some parents even brought along their young children.
Among the chants used by protesters were "(Chief Executive) Carrie Lam, step down!" and "Free Hong Kong."
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Monday the country has breached the 2015 nuclear deal’s limits on enriched uranium, a step that marks its first intentional violation of the accord and could lead to the unraveling of the agreement in the coming months.
Iran’s agreement to a stockpile of 300 kilograms or less was one of the tight restrictions placed on its nuclear work in exchange for a lifting of most international sanctions. Iran said it is disregarding some of the accord’s limits because the U.S. withdrew from the deal and reimposed tight sanctions on Tehran.
The United Nations’ atomic agency, which oversees Iran’s compliance with the 2015 agreement, said it was aware of media reports about Iran’s stockpile and its inspectors were investigating.
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The deal’s remaining countries—France, the U.K., Germany, Russia and China—have warned Iran against breaching any aspects of the accord but have made clear they won’t abandon the agreement based on Monday’s violation. European officials have said they could trigger a weekslong process that could result in international sanctions being reimposed on Tehran if Iran takes additional steps to violate the agreement, as it has threatened to do later this week.
Iranian officials have said they could easily reverse any measures they take that breach the terms of the deal if Europe, Russia and China move to soften the impact of U.S. sanctions. They have tried to keep alive economic ties with Iran, and announced last week that a method for processing transactions with Iran had become operational, potentially carving a path for companies to avoid U.S. sanctions. Iranians said the move was positive but not enough.
Iran’s move leaves it far off developing a nuclear weapon, giving Europe and the U.S., currently divided over Iran strategy, time to coordinate a response.
President Trump has said Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon and has waged what U.S. officials call a maximum-pressure campaign against the country’s economy, leveling sanctions on the oil industry and top officials and building up its military presence in the Persian Gulf. Mr. Trump said he pulled out of the nuclear deal because it failed to stem Iran’s military moves in the region or prevent it from eventually creating a nuclear weapon.
In response to U.S. pressure, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. says Iran also has attacked six tankers in the Gulf of Oman and worked in tandem with sympathetic militias to harass Saudi Arabia with rocket and drone attacks—allegations Iran denies.
The 2015 deal was structured around a premise that were Iran to exit from the accord, it would need 12 months to produce enough nuclear fuel for a weapon.
Iran has said its nuclear program is peaceful and that it has no intention of building a bomb. In July 2015, Iran’s time frame to produce enough fuel for one weapon was believed to be around two months.
Tensions are growing outside the Hong Kong government headquarters, known as the Legislative Council (LegCo), where protesters have smashed multiple windows and torn down barriers, so far without any reaction from police.
Several thousand protesters are packed into the demonstration zone outside LegCo’s public entrances, wearing helmets and masks. Their arms are wrapped in cling film to protect them from pepper spray.
There is little to no leadership and only spontaneous coordination. That's led to confusion about how and when protesters should break in to LegCo ... and what they’ll do even if they can get inside.
The protesters are all very young and very aware of the risks they are taking, hiding their faces and blocking reporters from taking photos. Some have even demand that images be deleted if they fear someone has been compromised.
As the sun starts to go down here, the feeling is that we’re headed for an ugly, violent night.
Police patience cannot last forever and official statements suggests it’s almost run out. Protesters, meanwhile, are determined to stay on, even if that means fighting.
Tensions are growing outside the Hong Kong government headquarters, known as the Legislative Council (LegCo), where protesters have smashed multiple windows and torn down barriers, so far without any reaction from police.
Several thousand protesters are packed into the demonstration zone outside LegCo’s public entrances, wearing helmets and masks. Their arms are wrapped in cling film to protect them from pepper spray.
There is little to no leadership and only spontaneous coordination. That's led to confusion about how and when protesters should break in to LegCo ... and what they’ll do even if they can get inside.
The protesters are all very young and very aware of the risks they are taking, hiding their faces and blocking reporters from taking photos. Some have even demand that images be deleted if they fear someone has been compromised.
As the sun starts to go down here, the feeling is that we’re headed for an ugly, violent night.
Police patience cannot last forever and official statements suggests it’s almost run out. Protesters, meanwhile, are determined to stay on, even if that means fighting.
Protesters attempt to smash a glass door at the government headquarters in Hong Kong on July 1. Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images
Angry protesters are trying their hardest to tear into the city's Legislative Council (LegCo) building ... and so far the nearby riot police are letting them.
Windows have been smashed. Metal fences torn apart. Demonstrators have even used long metal poles to try to prise open the metal shutters that stand between them and entering the main building.
There appears to be some division among the protesters as to whether to move further into the government building or not, but the destruction is continuing regardless.
Video from inside the building shows dozens of Hong Kong police in full riot gear and additional police support is waiting nearby.
But so far no action has been taken by the authorities despite the issuing of a red alert at LegCo.
Iran has exceeded the amount of enriched uranium that it was allowed to have under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, sources say.
Under the accord, Iran agreed to limit its sensitive nuclear activities and allow in international inspectors in return for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions.
What is enriched uranium?
Enriched uranium is widely used for peaceful purposes, such as medical research and producing electricity. But if it is highly purified it can also be used to make a nuclear bomb.
Under the nuclear deal, Iran is only permitted (until 2031) to produce low-enriched uranium, which has a 3-4% concentration of the most fissile isotope, U-235, and can fuel a power plant. "Weapons-grade" uranium is 90% enriched or more.
Iran can also stockpile no more than 300kg (660lbs) of the low-enriched uranium and operate no more than 5,060 of the centrifuges used to separate out U-235 isotopes from uranium hexafluoride gas.
Another part of the deal instructs Iran not to accumulate more than 130 tonnes of heavy water, which contains more hydrogen than ordinary water, and to redesign its heavy-water nuclear facility at Arak. Spent fuel from a heavy-water reactor contains plutonium, which can be used in a nuclear bomb.
Why did Iran break the limit?
The Iranian economy has slumped since President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in May 2018 and began reinstating sanctions. He said the deal was flawed and that he wanted to force Iran's government to renegotiate the terms - something it refused to do.
The other parties to the deal - the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia - criticised Mr Trump's decision and said they remained committed to the deal.
In May 2019, the White House stepped up pressure on Iran by ending exemptions from secondary sanctions for countries still buying Iranian oil.
It also ended exemptions for countries participating in deals under which Iran exchanged its surplus low-enriched uranium for un-enriched ore concentrate known as "yellowcake" and sold its surplus heavy water. Such transfers allowed Iran to continue production of both materials without exceeding the stockpile limits.
Iran's President, Hassan Rouhani, subsequently said it would retaliate against the US sanctions by suspending its commitment to comply with the stockpile caps. Officials noted that Iran stated in the nuclear deal that it would cease performing its commitments "in whole or in part" if sanctions were reimposed.
Mr Rouhani also gave the five remaining parties to the deal until 7 July to shield Iran from the sanctions' effects. If they failed, he said, Iran might start enriching uranium beyond 3.67% concentration and halt the redesign of the Arak reactor.
The European countries have set up a bartering mechanism that would essentially allow foreign companies to trade with Iran in a way that would avoid sanctions, but it is not yet operational.
Why does this matter?
First and foremost, it could be considered a violation of the nuclear deal.
If that is formally confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), whose inspectors monitor compliance, the deal allows for a so-called "snap back" of UN and multilateral sanctions on Iran. No permanent member of the UN Security Council would be able to veto the move.
Iran has also said it will speed up production of low-enriched uranium once it has breached the stockpile limit, but its concentration would still be well below anything that could be used possibly for a weapon.
Experts say they would be more concerned if Iran decided after 7 July to violate another commitment and started to enrich uranium beyond 3.67%.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran said earlier this month that it might begin to enrich uranium up to 5% so that it could provide fuel for its nuclear power plant at Bushehr, or even up to the 20% required for Tehran's research reactor.
The production of 20% enriched uranium is a major concern because it is most of the way to weapons-grade uranium. Going from uranium's natural state of 0.7% concentration to 20% takes approximately 90% of the total effort required to reach weapons-grade.
Before the nuclear deal was implemented, Iran had a sufficient amount of 20% enriched uranium and number of centrifuges that its so-called "break-out time" - the time it would theoretically take to acquire enough fissile material for one nuclear weapon, if it chose to do so - was estimated to be about two to three months.
The deal slowed the break-out time to at least a year. But any reversal of Iran's commitments on uranium enrichment would see that start to shorten.
Does Iran want a nuclear bomb?
Iran insists it has never sought to develop such a weapon.
The international community does not believe that, pointing to evidence collected by the IAEA suggesting that until 2003 Iran conducted "a range of activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device". Some of those activities continued until 2009, according to the IAEA.
