FILE – In this January 16, 2016 file-pool photo, Secretary of State John Kerry talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Vienna, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verified that Iran has met all conditions under the nuclear deal.
Advertisement
Iran has conducted four ballistic missile tests since signing the nuclear accord with the USA and five other world powers a year ago.
The document, obtained by the Associated Press in Vienna, outlines Tehran’s plans to expand its uranium enrichment program after the first 10 years of the nuclear deal. These new centrifuges would cut in half the time Iran would need to build a nuclear bomb from a year to six months.
This document clears up some of that uncertainty: In 2027, 11 years after the deal was made, Iran can replace the old centrifuges with new ones that are five times as efficient, effectively boosting Iran’s uranium enrichment capacity. Iran has consistently said it is not interested in building nuclear weapons.
The document does not say what would happen with Iran’s enrichment process after year 13, which means that an end to all restrictions could be on the cards. Its authenticity was confirmed by another diplomat.
The United States and Russian Federation both criticized United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday for overstepping his mandate in a report on the implementation of a Security Council resolution backing a nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
The document, submitted by Iran to the UN’s nuclear watchdog, outlines its plan to install thousands of state-of-the-art centrifuges that would theoretically allow Iran to produce enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon- should it choose to do so, in violation of the accord- within months.
Iran says a report by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the implementation of a nuclear deal with the country is “based on incomplete information”.
The United Nations on Monday accused the Iranian regime of repeating violating global law by sending weapons to militias in the Middle East. But it can be put to use only after the deal expires.
Marking the agreement’s anniversary Thursday, President Barack Obama said it has succeeded in rolling back Iran’s nuclear program, “avoiding further conflict and making us safer”.
Advertisement
The deal provides Iran with sanctions relief in exchange for its nuclear constraints.
