Iran starts enriching uranium at 60 per cent, its highest level ever

It could inspire a further response from Israel amid a long-running shadow war between the nations.

Iran says it has started enriching uranium up to 60% purity, its highest level ever, after the sabotage at its Natanz nuclear site this past weekend.

That's according to Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who made the comments in a report Friday on Iranian state television.

The announcement marks a significant escalation after the sabotage that damaged centrifuges, an attack this past weekend suspected of having been carried out by Israel. It could inspire a further response from Israel amid a long-running shadow war between the nations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed never to allow Tehran to obtain a nuclear weapon and his country has twice preemptively bombed Mideast nations to stop their atomic programmes.