The MPs, in this visit, were informed of the site’s facilities and procedures besides its production, engineering and technical activities.

The visit was paid to let the MPs prepare their periodical report (each six months) about the activities and measures of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), regarding its JCPOA commitments and reduction of obligations.

On November 18, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported said that Iran has accumulated more than 130 tons of heavy water in continuation of its cuts to JCPOA commitments.

“On 16 November 2019, Iran informed the Agency that its stock of heavy water had exceeded 130 metric tons,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states, Reuters reported.

“On 17 November 2019, the Agency verified that the Heavy Water Production Plant (HWPP) was in operation and that Iran’s stock of heavy water was 131.5 metric tonnes,” the report added.

Iran took the fourth step back from its commitments to the nuclear deal earlier this month at the end of a 60-day ultimatum to remaining parties to the nuclear deal to live up to their own commitments to the JCPOA ended while they did not take any practical steps to meet Iran’s demands.

Iran demands European countries make up for its losses after the US withdrawal from the accord and help Iran with its oil sales and banking relations.

Tehran says its countermeasures are in accordance with the paragraphs 26 and 36 of the nuclear deal, and that it will reverse the steps once its demands are met.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to a level above the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.

In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent.

Furthermore, Tehran lifted all restrictions on nuclear research and development and announced it would use advanced centrifuges as its third step.

In the 4th step, the Iranian nuclear agency resumed uranium enrichment to 4.5% at Fordow nuclear facility by injecting gas into advanced IR6 centrifuges, while Iran had agreed in the JCPOA not to conduct enrichment in the underground facility.

Each time Iran gives a 60-day deadline to the other parties before taking its next step.

“We have taken the fourth JCPOA step. We had made it clear that if the measures of other parties do not yield results, we would take the next steps to scale back our commitments under the deal,” Zarif said on Friday upon arrival in Turkey to attend the 24th meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

“We started talks from the first day and did not say no to the talks,” he added, stressing that Tehran will hold talks with the parties willing to help preserve the pact.

“We will hold talks with those parties interested in preserving the JCPOA; the French will continue their consultations on the issue, and we will leave the door open for negotiation and understanding,” Zarif noted.

In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council — Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China — and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.

Following the US’ unilateral withdrawal from the pact in May 2018, and the other parties’ failure to live up to their obligations to secure Iran’s economic benefits from the JCPA, Tehran has started to reduce its JCPOA commitments in two-month phases.

Earlier this week, Iran restarted enrichment at its Fordow nuclear facility as the fourth step away from the 2015 accord.

The country had earlier reduced its commitments in three other phases, but the latest one, the injection of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into centrifuges at Fordow, is believed to be the most important step so far, and a serious warning to other parties.

“This is unacceptable,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told a news conference in Berlin, referring to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s announcement that Iran was beginning injecting gas to 1,044 centrifuges at its Fordow nuclear facility. This act is a part of Iran’s 4th step towards reducing JCPOA commitments.

“This step is incompatible with Iran’s obligations under the nuclear deal. By this, Iran continues to put at stake the agreement,” Maas warned.

“So, we strongly urge Iran to reverse all steps that have been taken since July and return to full compliance with its obligations,” he added.

Iran started to scale down its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as JCPOA, in a retaliatory move following the unilateral decision by the US to withdraw from the agreement, and the EU’s failure to fulfill its commitments.

Iran started injecting gas into centrifuges at its Fordow nuclear facility on Wednesday, in the presence of inspectors from the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA, according to the state television.

Tehran says gas injection in Fordow is Iran’s 4th step of decreasing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The nuclear agreement was signed in 2015 between Iran and Russia, China, France, the U.K., and the US, plus Germany.

However, last year US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal and intensified pressure on Tehran by re-imposing sanctions targeting the country’s energy and banking sectors.

Calling on Iran to reverse its latest decisions to reduce commitments to a 2015 nuclear deal, French foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll told reporters in a daily briefing on Tuesday that “the announcement by Iran on November 5 to increase its enrichment capacity goes against the Vienna agreement, which strictly limits activities in this area.”

“We are waiting with our partners for the next IAEA reports on Iran’s announcements and actions,” Reuters quoted her as saying.

She claimed that France remained committed to the deal and urged Iran to “fully adhere to its obligations and to cooperate fully with the IAEA, both in JCPOA and its other nuclear obligations.”

Iran’s 4th step in reducing commitments to the JCPOA is beginning on Wednesday, which includes reducing commitments regarding the Fordow enrichment facility.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani underscored on Tuesday that the new measures will be taken under the supervision of the IAEA.

“Under the JCPOA, we were inquired to have up to 1,044 centrifuges at Fordow, which were supposed to remain without gas. Starting tomorrow, we will start injecting gas into the centrifuges at Fordow as part of the fourth JCPOA step,” the president said.

“To all the remaining sides to the JCPOA and other friendly countries, I’d like to state in advance that our new measures will be taken under the supervision of the IAEA,” Rouhani added.

“Also, all measures in the fourth step are reversible just like in the previous steps; that is, the moment the other sides to the agreement begin to live up to their commitments, we will resume our own suspended commitments as well,” he added.

Iran has repeatedly warned the European parties, including France, that the deal can only be rescued if they help it circumvent US sanctions on its banking and oil sectors.

Iran says if it reached a proper solution for the removal of sanctions on its export of oil and metal, if it could easily use its money in trade transactions, then it would be fully ready to return to the previous conditions, regarding the level of our JCPOA commitments.

“We will take the fourth step in reducing commitments to the JCPOA (tomorrow) and I will declare the directives to the Atomic Energy Organization today,” said President Rouhani on Tuesday, during the inauguration ceremony of Azadi Innovation Factory, a venue for the gathering of startups.

“The 4th step of reducing commitments includes obligations regarding the Fordow enrichment facility,” Rouhani said.

“Under the JCPOA, we were inquired to have up to 1,044 centrifuges at Fordow, which were supposed to remain without gas. Starting tomorrow, we will start injecting gas into the centrifuges at Fordow as part of the fourth JCPOA step,” the president added.

“To all the remaining sides to the JCPOA and other friendly countries, I’d like to state in advance that our new measures will be taken under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” said Rouhani.

“Also, all measures in the fourth step are reversible just like in the previous steps; that is, the moment the other sides to the agreement begin to live up to their commitments, we will resume our own suspended commitments as well,” he added.

“Some countries made efforts to reach positive results before the fourth deadline ran out, but we have no other choice but to take the fourth step starting tomorrow,” Rouhani said.

He went on to stress, however, that “there is time for negotiations for the next two months. If we reached a proper solution for the removal of sanctions on our export of oil and metal, if we could easily use our money in trade transactions, then we would be fully ready to return to the previous conditions [regarding the level of our JCPOA commitments.”

When asked by Mehr correspondent about the likelihood of Iran’s return to the pre-JCPOA conditions regarding its nuclear program given the end of the country’s’ technical measures in reducing commitments, Vaezi dismissed the possibility, stressing that “the deal is in place for the time being, and the United States is the only party that has pulled out,” stressing JCPOA collapse will take steps and time.

“Today we are in the third step of reducing commitments to the JCPOA,” he said.

“There is a long way before we could reach the point,” of returning Iran’s nuclear program to the pre-JCPOA conditions, he added.

There are only a few days left to Iran’s 60-day deadline for its fourth JCPOA step, as President Rouhani will announce the details of the fourth step on November 7.

The reductions come as part of Iran’s plans to “create balance between the country’s rights and commitments to the JCPOA,” following the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal, and lack of practical measures from the European signatories to 2015 deal.

Tehran has so far taken three steps, highlighting that all its measures are reversible as soon as other parties can shield its economy from damages of US unilateral sanctions. Therefore they can be preventing JCPOA collapse.