Iran is complying with the landmark nuclear
deal it sealed with major world powers in 2015,
according to a report from the UN watchdog
seen by AFP on Friday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency
addressed key limits set under the agreement,
which is under intense scrutiny after the
election of US President Donald Trump.
The report said Iran is not pursuing
construction of its existing heavy water
research reactor and has not enriched uranium
above an agreed 3.67 percent-limit.
And Iran’s stockpile of low-enriched uranium
— which can be used for peaceful purposes,
but when further processed for a nuclear
weapon — was 101.7 kilos (225 pounds), well
below the agreed level of 300 kilos.
Senior diplomats said that Tehran recently
came close to reaching the limit.
Another key condition concerns Iran’s level of
so-called heavy water, a modified form of
water used in certain types of nuclear reactors.
The IAEA’s latest report said Iran has not
exceeded the permitted level of 130 tonnes, as
it did briefly during previous periods.
Plutonium for use in nuclear weapons can be
extracted from fuel rods used in heavy water
reactors.
In November 2016, the atomic watchdog noted
that Iran had crept above the 130-tonne limit.
– Sanctions under Trump –
Tehran shipped out the excess amount and its
current stock was just above 124 tonnes, the
latest report said.
“Iran has not conducted any uranium
enrichment or related research and
development activities” at its Fordo nuclear
plant, the IAEA added.
Verification has continued as agreed, according
to the UN watchdog’s fifth quarterly
assessment since the pact was struck.
Under the accord, Iran dramatically scaled back
nuclear activities to put atomic weapons out of
its reach — an aim Tehran always denied
having — in exchange for the relief of crippling
sanctions.
The agreement extends to at least a year the
length of time Tehran would need to make one
nuclear bomb’s worth of fissile material — up
from a few months prior.
Steps taken by Iran included slashing by two-
thirds its uranium centrifuges, cutting its
stockpile of uranium — several tonnes before
the deal, enough for several bombs — and
removing the core of the Arak reactor which
could have given Iran weapons-grade
plutonium.
But the pact, endorsed by the European Union,
has been on shaky ground since the
inauguration of Trump, who on the campaign
trail last year called it the “worst deal ever
negotiated”.
Tensions between Iran and the United States
have been backsliding for months but worsened
after Tehran carried out a missile test on
January 29, followed by army drills.
The White House responded by slapping fresh
sanctions on Iran’s weapons procurement
network. Tehran insists that its military power
is for “purely defensive” purposes.
