IAEA Confirms Iran’s Compliance
VIENNA (Dispatches) -- Iran is taking further action to comply with the terms of an extended interim agreement with six world powers over its nuclear energy program, a UN nuclear agency report showed.
The findings in a monthly update by the International Atomic Energy Agency – though no major surprise – may be seen as positive by the West as negotiations resumed in New York this week on ending the decade-old nuclear standoff.
The IAEA document made clear that Iran is continuing to meet its commitments under the preliminary accord that it reached with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia late last year and that took effect in January.
In addition, as agreed when the deal was extended by four months in July, it is using some of its higher-grade enriched uranium in oxide form to produce fuel.
The IAEA is tasked with checking that Iran is living up to its part of the temporary agreement, which was designed to buy time for the current talks on a comprehensive settlement of the dispute.
Iran is saying it is refining uranium to fuel a network of nuclear power plants.
The initial aim was for Iran and the six powers to reach a long-term agreement by a self-imposed July 20 deadline. But the talks and the interim deal were extended until Nov. 24 in view of persistently wide differences over the future size of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Under the preliminary accord, Iran halted its most contested nuclear work – enrichment of uranium to a higher fissile concentration of 20% – in exchange for a limited easing of sanctions that are hurting its oil-dependent economy. It also converted its stockpile of the material into oxide from gas.
Over the four months of the deal’s extension, Iran is to receive $2.8 billion in previously frozen oil revenue held in banks abroad, in addition to the $4.2 billion it got during the January-July period.
In exchange, it agreed to take some additional nuclear steps, including making nuclear fuel for a research reactor and diluting a large amount of low-enriched uranium.
Friday’s IAEA report said Iran since July 24 had used 12.5 kg of its 20% uranium in oxide form for manufacturing fuel. It also said Iran had begun preparatory work for diluting more than four tons of uranium gas enriched to up to two percent.
The Vienna-based IAEA has inspectors on the ground in Iran who are monitoring its enrichment sites on a daily basis. Its monthly reports on the implementation of the nuclear agreement are issued to its member states and not made public.
The IAEA document made clear that Iran is continuing to meet its commitments under the preliminary accord that it reached with the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia late last year and that took effect in January.
In addition, as agreed when the deal was extended by four months in July, it is using some of its higher-grade enriched uranium in oxide form to produce fuel.
The IAEA is tasked with checking that Iran is living up to its part of the temporary agreement, which was designed to buy time for the current talks on a comprehensive settlement of the dispute.
Iran is saying it is refining uranium to fuel a network of nuclear power plants.
The initial aim was for Iran and the six powers to reach a long-term agreement by a self-imposed July 20 deadline. But the talks and the interim deal were extended until Nov. 24 in view of persistently wide differences over the future size of Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Under the preliminary accord, Iran halted its most contested nuclear work – enrichment of uranium to a higher fissile concentration of 20% – in exchange for a limited easing of sanctions that are hurting its oil-dependent economy. It also converted its stockpile of the material into oxide from gas.
Over the four months of the deal’s extension, Iran is to receive $2.8 billion in previously frozen oil revenue held in banks abroad, in addition to the $4.2 billion it got during the January-July period.
In exchange, it agreed to take some additional nuclear steps, including making nuclear fuel for a research reactor and diluting a large amount of low-enriched uranium.
Friday’s IAEA report said Iran since July 24 had used 12.5 kg of its 20% uranium in oxide form for manufacturing fuel. It also said Iran had begun preparatory work for diluting more than four tons of uranium gas enriched to up to two percent.
The Vienna-based IAEA has inspectors on the ground in Iran who are monitoring its enrichment sites on a daily basis. Its monthly reports on the implementation of the nuclear agreement are issued to its member states and not made public.