Iran Nuclear Program Archives - Iran News Daily

We have decided to end commotion over our nuclear program: Iran’s nuclear chief

mahla — Tue, 02 May 2023 21:49:29 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) –Mohammad Eslami, chief of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in a ceremony in the Amir Kabir University of Technology on Tuesday that the Islamic Republic has decided to end “commotions” over the country’s nuclear program.

Salami said due to untruthful accusations against Iran for its nuclear program “our path of progress” has become more limited and more “hurdles” have been created every passing day and this has created a situation in which some Iranian citizens may ask what is the “advantage” of nuclear energy.

The nuclear chief went on to say that industrialization of nuclear energy is of paramount importance to the extent that it can create a “unique opportunity to facilitate and accelerate” the path for producing technology.

In line with this purpose a “special investment” has been made and “the starting point is formulation of a strategic document that shapes the 20-year outlook of our plans.”

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Leader: Iran Will Not Forgo Regional Presence, Nuclear Program

mahla — Sat, 12 Mar 2022 07:05:43 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei says Iran will not give up on its regional presence and peaceful nuclear program as two factors that contribute to the country’s national power.

Addressing a meeting on Thursday with Iran’s Assembly of Experts, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “It is vital for any country to have national power.”

He said any nation seeking independence and resistance against the will of others needs to “stand strong, otherwise it will be fearful, weak, humiliated and constantly worried about the foreigners’ greedy eyes.”

Ayatollah Khamenei described national power as a “compound issue” and an “intertwined network” comprised of multiple factors.

The Leader said among the “pillars of national power” are “security and defense power,” “economy, public welfare and easy livelihood,” “the power of politicking and bargaining to fulfill national interests in at the regional and global front,” and “culture and lifestyle,” among other things.

“None of these arms of national power should be cut off in favor of one pillar and the other,” Ayatollah Khamenei said.

“Regional presence gives us more strategic depth and national strength. Why should we give it up? Scientific nuclear advance has to do with the country’s needs in the near future and, if we do away with [the nuclear program], who will we have to ask for [nuclear knowhow to meet our demands]? the Leader asked.

It is a big mistake to retreat in the face of America or any other power for securing protection against sanctions, which will deal a blow to the nation’s political power, Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Using the media as a tool, the devils have constantly been spreading lies to undermine the public trust and faith and frustrate the nation, the Leader added.

Speaking at the meeting, he described the intertwined combination of factors involved in national strength and stated that attending to the people’s problems in livelihood is important. Referring to the enemy’s severe, relentless soft war to entice and influence the people and particular individuals, he emphasized, “The solution for this complex war is the struggle for clarification using new software methods and based on the deep, sublime teachings and concepts of Islam.”

Expressing his congratulations on the occasion of the Eids in this month of Sha’ban, in particular the 15th of Sha’ban, Imam Khamenei described the Eid of the 15th of Sha’ban as being the day of the historic dreams of humanity coming true. In referring to the great spiritual significance of the month of Sha’ban and the sublime meanings found in the Sha’baniyah Supplication, he said, “Imam Khomeini was deeply fond of the Kumayl Supplication and the Sha’baniyah Supplication. I hope that God will bestow on everyone the spiritual capacity to be able to make a better use of the blessings offered in this month.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated that the Assembly of Experts plays an important role in strengthening the Islamic government, and he added, “The necessary condition for all legal institutions to be effective, such as the Assembly of Experts, is for them to act in accordance with the duties that the Constitution has specified for them.”

The Leader continued, “The Assembly of Experts must carefully comply with the strict legal regulations regarding the person who is currently in the position of the Leader and the person who will later be elected to this position by the votes of the members of this Assembly.”

He said that other organizations too, including the Administration and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, are also obliged to comply with the legal regulations. He emphasized, “The Administration should comply with the laws passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and the Islamic Consultative Assembly too should not get involved in the affairs of the Executive Branch at all.”

The Leader stated that strengthening the Islamic Republic brings national power and strength, “National strength is vital for every country. If any nation wishes to achieve independence and greatness, the ability to use its own vital resources at its own volition and resistance in the face of others’ [illegitimate] demands, it should be strong. Otherwise, if it is weak, humiliated and intimidated, it will always have to worry about the transgressions of foreigner powers.”

He described national strength as being an intertwined combination of different pillars. He explained it in this way, “Science and technology, thinking, reflection and free thought are some of the pillars of national strength. If there is no free thought and intellectual progress, science and technology will not be able to open the way.”

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to “a strong security and defense,” “the economy, the public well-being and the economic welfare of the people,” “diplomatic strength and bargaining power for ensuring national interests at a regional and global level,” “culture and lifestyle,” and “an appealing logic that influences other nations” as being other branches of national strength. Furthermore, he stressed, “Attracting nations brings strategic depth for any country, and this is very important.”

He added, “None of these branches of national strength should be eliminated in favor of other pillars and branches.” Citing examples in this regard, Imam Khamenei stressed that proposals such as abandoning regional involvement in order to avoid giving the enemy an excuse and stopping scientific progress in the nuclear sciences are actually blows to national strength. He elaborated this point, “Regional involvement gives us strategic depth and more national strength. Why should we stop this approach? Progress in the nuclear sciences too is related to meeting the needs of the country in the near future. If we abandon these, toward whom should we stretch out our hand in a few years?”

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Iran Slams IAEA Nonrelevant Terms on Iran Nuclear Program

reporter 1222 — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 04:55:10 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna has criticized recent remarks made by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about Iran’s nuclear program, calling them ‘nonrelevant’ terms that have no place in IAEA’s documents.

In an interview with Austrian paper Die Presse published on its website on Saturday, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi was asked about Iran’s “breakout” time — the period it would take to produce enough nuclear material for one weapon, Press TV reported.

He replied, “In the IAEA we do not talk about breakout time. We look at the significant quantity, the minimum amount of enriched uranium or plutonium needed to make an atomic bomb. Iran does not have this significant quantity at the moment.”

Reacting to those remarks in a Sunday tweet, Kazem Gharibabadi noted, “Drawing self-made criteria such as ‘breakout’ and ‘significant quantity’ for countries which are enriching uranium under the IAEA’s surveillance is nonrelevant and has no status in the IAEA legal documents.”

Can Director General Grossi tell us, Gharibabadi asked, “what is the number of SQ for N5 (five countries possessing nuclear weapons) and NNWSs (non-nuclear-weapon states) such as the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Brazil and Argentina?”

“Better not to measure the activities under Safeguards in this way! Weapon/civilian grade material may be a better definition.” Iran’s envoy added.

Gharibabadi then reminded, “There are more than 1,300 tons of HEU (highly enriched uranium) and 300 tons of Plutonium in the world and according to the SIR 2019, total SQ also amounts to 216448 (8 pct more since 2015). What a dangerous world we are living in?!”

Iran signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) — whose aim is to prevent the spread of nuclear arms and weapons technology — in July 1968 and ratified it in February 1970.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly asserted that it has never sought and will never seek nuclear arms based on a fatwa (religious decree) issued by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei. The fatwa bans the production, possession and stockpiling of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Iran demonstrated to the world the peaceful nature of its nuclear program by signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with six world states — namely the US, Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China — in 2015. The agreement was also ratified in the form of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

However, Washington’s exit in May 2018 and the subsequent re-imposition of unilateral sanctions against Tehran left the future of the historic accord in limbo.

Tehran remained fully compliant with the JCPOA for an entire year, waiting for the co-signatories to fulfill their end of the bargain by offsetting the impacts of Washington’s bans on the Iranian economy.

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Iran Promoting Peaceful Use of Nuclear Technology

reporter 1222 — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 04:53:24 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced on Saturday that the country is pursuing its scientific programs in the fields of health, agriculture, food, radiopharmaceuticals and stable isotopes in a precise and determined manner.

The announcement was made in a series of tweets marking the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, September 26.

The organization reiterated the country’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy, saying Iran, with a transparent approach, has demonstrated more cooperation with the IAEA.

“International day for the elimination of nuclear weapons, provides an opportunity to correct and modify the global tyrannical mentality concerning the #peaceful use of #nuclear energy.

“Today, many countries have resorted to the use of nuclear energy, but the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a transparent approach, has demonstrated more cooperation with the @iaeaorg. This issue proves the rightfulness of using this energy for the Iranian people.

“The @aeoinews with an outlook based on peaceful use of the nuclear technology has promoted its scientific programs in the areas of health, agriculture, food, radiopharmaceuticals, stable isotopes and etc. in a precise and determined manner and #sanctions imposed on #Iranian_nuclear_scientists will not interrupt Iran’s nuclear program strategic principle.

The Supreme Leader of Iran stated, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has never sought nuclear weapons and will not surrender the right of its people to peaceful use of nuclear energy.”

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Iranian Deputy Says Country to Continue Cooperation with IAEA

reporter 1222 — Wed, 16 Sep 2020 13:06:56 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Mohsen Baharvand said the country will move forward with its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as before.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran continues its cooperation with the Agency, but there is a valid question to be raised: ‘whether the JCPOA and the verification activities in accordance with this deal can resist the pressures exerted by the US creating an extremely difficult situation for its viability?’ the answer to this question could be both yes and no. Everything depends on the international community and remaining participants of the JCPOA,” Baharvand said in a speech before the IAEA Board of Governors on Verification and Monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in Light of UN Security Council Resolution 2231.

Following is the full text of his address.

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

Madam Chairperson, Director General,

Excellences, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The Report of the Director General on this agenda item demonstrates once again that the level of cooperation between Iran and the Agency stands at the same level as it has been in the past. Even in the difficult situation caused by the pandemic Covid-19, verification activities of the Agency have been conducted without any impediment and remains uninterrupted. The DG’s Report is again an evidence that the Agency continues to carry out its mandates in relations with the verification activities under the JCPOA.

The Islamic Republic of Iran continues its cooperation with the Agency, but there is a valid question to be raised: “whether the JCPOA and the verification activities in accordance with this deal can resist the pressures exerted by the US creating an extremely difficult situation for its viability?” the answer to this question could be both yes and no. Everything depends on the international community and remaining participants of the JCPOA.

The US is sparing no effort to frustrate this important deal. What might be the benefit of US in destroying such a multilateral agreement, or what the US would be able to propose in its absence, is up to them to explain. My take on that would be the US approach toward Iran is an ideological antagonistic one, no other justification can serve the amount of animosity of the United States toward my country. JCPOA and nuclear deal is just a small episode of the show.

However, we can rest assured that the US can introduce any alternative neither for the JCPOA nor for any other multilateral agreement it has withdrawn from it. The reason for such argument is obvious. The US diplomacy is based on unilateralism and bullying but not multilateralism and cooperation. The US has already lost its spirit and ability to deliver fair solutions for international conflicts. When the US has only learnt to dictate its will over the others due to misperception of its hard power, how can it be able to respect concerns of others, or negotiate on an equal footing in order to bring about freely acceptable conclusions for all parties concerned? Don’t forget that once upon a time the United Nations and multilateralism was mainly the result of The US diplomacy. That spirit has vanished long time ago.

The so-called Maximum Pressure approach has inflicted immense damages on my country and the Iranian people. The US shall be held responsible for its internationally wrongful acts and is obliged to compensate the injuries incurred upon Iran.

Before, the current US administration came to power and during election campaign the current US president pledged to withdraw from nuclear deal. It is lamentable that the international agreements become the subject of political rivalries in the United States. In such cases the only important issue is to do something against the opposite part.

The US withdrew from the deal in May 2018 and defied its obligations under JCPOA, while in accordance with the UNSC Resolution 2231, it had the obligation to adhere to its commitments under the nuclear deal.

The internal political reasons were made and US domestic laws were invoked to justify this move. In accordance with the provisions of international law, it is not acceptable to raise internal political issues or national laws to shrug off the international obligations. But the US did so without paying attention to its obligations.

United States is not allowed by any means to apply its domestic laws and regulations at international level in defying the provisions of international law. If the US act prevails in international relations, no international agreement including the UN Charter, would be able to sustain.

US was first of the hope that with its withdrawal from the deal and exerting Maximum Pressure, Iran would give in and the JCPOA would collapse. But all its desperate unilateral attempts failed.

The US Administration, thus, recently entered into another phase of sabotage which is disguised with a form of legal debate. They have put forward the issue of the so-called snapback, upon a peculiar, unprofessional and arbitrary interpretation of the UNSC Resolution 2231. They tend to make use of the resolution that pretending to be a participant in the JCPOA.

Such simplified misinterpretation of an international document can only come from the one who either has no shred of understanding of the international law and the norms of interpretation, or has evil intention against a nation or the international community as a whole.

As far as we are aware, the US enjoys a good human resources, therefore the first scenario cannot be the case. However, there are some petty politicians including in our region who support every ill-founded US argument. As we know them, they probably enjoy both characteristics mentioned above.

Madam Chair

The fact is clear, US is no more a participant of the JCPOA in order to be able to utilize the so-called snapback mechanism, and if it resorts to the UNSC Resolution 2231 to destroy the JCPOA, it is taking a wrong path, because; first, the main purpose of the Resolution is to maintain the deal and enhance its implementation not to turn into the tool to dismantle it, and second, the so-called snapback has a known procedure through the Joint Commission of the JCPOA, and for this, the initiator should be a participant of the Joint Commission to be able to trigger the process. Even if the US was a participant of the deal, it could have not trigger the so-called snapback without implementing its obligations thereunder in good-will.

Madam Chairperson,

The root-causes of all these conflicts, with which the Agency has also been technically associated one way or another, are the unilateralism and failure of the current management of international relations. That is because the United States as one of the most powerful members of international community is attacking its very basic foundations on a daily basis, instead of respecting its order, norms and regulations.

We do not only blame the United State for this situation in the world. We believe rather those countries who pretend to disagree with unilateralism in words but they are underpinning unilateralism by their deeds are equally responsible for such instability and turmoil in international relations. I call this phenomena “passive unilateralism”. If there is a member of the international community which succumbs to unlawful unilateral measures for the sake of its short-sighted interest and leaves the international community’s values, norms and laws unattended is a passive unilateralist. It should be kept in mind, that it is of no avail to advise or

recommend the unilateralist countries to abandon such measures, rather the members of the international community need collectively to resist against unilateral measures in order to uphold law and order at international level. Otherwise we have to get prepared to jump back to the pre Second World War era.

Unfortunately, passive unilateralism is pervasive in the current state of international relations. We are witnessing this on daily basis including during some deliberations of current agenda item in this room.

Some in this room intentionally or unintentionally are trying to change the place of victim and the victimizer. Some are even reluctant to name the United States as the one who has withdrawn from the deal and the current situation is the result of its acts. With such practice in international organizations it is hard to believe that multilateralism can survive.

Dear colleagues

Making a comment in the international forums is easy if you don’t care about the facts on the ground. You are not facing the sanctions and maximum pressure of the United States. Your cancer patients are not left without medications. Your children with the EB disease are not living with deadly pain waiting months and months for medicine. Billions of dollars of your assets are not blockaded illegally. But you have a moral duty to bear in mind this list and longer list by far to be able to make a realistic comment.

Madam Chair

Iran has repeatedly shown its willingness to implement the deal fully and effectively we should be realistic a bit. The US has withdrawn from the nuclear deal and has imposed additional sanctions on my country. We are adhering to our

obligations expressed in the deal but in the same time it is almost impossible to enjoy the rights stipulated therein. Therefore, Iran is using its remedial rights within the framework of the deal. However, we are ready to reverse the steps which have been taken as soon as we can enjoy freely the rights enshrined in the deal.

Having said all above, we should not lose hope and enhance cooperation with our partners in the JCPOA. The recent resistance shown by the members of the UN Security Council against the US unilateral measure in relations with the JCPOA is good example of reinforcing multilateralism. Such an action is commendable, and could be used as a lesson learnt in other international fora.

Madam Chair,

At the end please allow me to raise once again the question I raised at the beginning of my statement. Can JCPOA and its relevant inspections carried out by the agency still stay alive? The answer would be yes if the world community stands firm against unilateralist policies of the United States and upholds its community values, norms and laws. Again the answer would be yes if we can strike a balance between the rights and obligations of Iran stipulated by JCPOA. No one can expect my country to implement all its obligations eternally without enjoying the rights provided for by the nuclear deal. No international agreement can be viable without a balance between rights and obligations therein. JCPOA is no exception.

In this respect I shall not fail to remind the commitments of EU /E3 members enshrined in the JCPOA. It goes without saying that they should implement their commitments fully and effectively under the nuclear deal. The answer of course is no if Iran cannot enjoy its rights under the JCPOA and international law generally. The answer again is no if there is no balance between the rights and obligations of Iran under the deal and if multilateralism is undermined and unilateralism continues to prevail in active or passive form.

I thank you Madam Chairperson.

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AEOI: 1,044 Centrifuges Spinning at Fordow Nuclear Site

reporter 1222 — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 06:42:17 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said enrichment of uranium is underway at the country’s Fordow nuclear facility with 1,044 centrifuge machines.

In remarks on Sunday, Salehi described the enrichment activities as evidence to the fact that the country has taken in full the fourth step it had promised to reduce its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal.

He made the comments in reaction to recent statements by a number of Iranian parliamentarians who claimed that the administration of President Hassan Rouhani has failed to complete the fourth step it had promised to take to reduce the country’s commitments as per the JCPOA.

“The policies related to the fourth step for the reduction of JCPOA commitments have been fully implemented by the Islamic Republic of Iran and we have activated a new wing of Fordow (nuclear facility),” Salehi added, Press TV reported.

“Based on the policies adopted to reduce JCPOA commitments, 1,044 centrifuges are doing enrichment (work) at Fordow. Therefore, as the executor of these polices, we have totally fulfilled our duty,” the Iranian nuclear chief said.

Under the nuclear deal, Iran had undertaken that these 1,044 centrifuge machines would not enrich uranium, but in line with the policies to reduce JCPOA commitments, the country is now enriching uranium to the amount it requires, and it will stockpile the enriched materials, Salehi noted.

He emphasized that Iran has been faced with a political challenge posed by the global arrogance since the victory of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, which gradually turned to a nuclear challenge, saying, “We finally succeeded in isolating the US in this challenge and this is a very valuable achievement for the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

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IAEA Inspected One of Two Sites Agreed with Iran: Report

reporter 1222 — Sat, 05 Sep 2020 03:41:31 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran has let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspect one of the two sites it agreed last week to grant access to while Tehran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has risen further, quarterly reports by the agency said on Friday.

The IAEA inspected one of the sites and took environmental samples there, one of the two reports obtained by Reuters said, referring to samples aimed at detecting traces of nuclear material that may have been present.

The agency’s inspectors will visit the other site “later in September 2020 on a date already agreed with Iran, to take environmental samples”, the report said.

The IAEA’s confidential document distributed to member countries also reported that Iran as of Aug. 25 had stockpiled 2,105.4 kilograms (2.32 tons) of low-enriched uranium, up from 1,571.6 kilograms (1.73 tons) last reported on May 20, AP reported.

Iran signed the nuclear deal in 2015 with the United States, Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia. Known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA.

The IAEA reported that Iran has been continuing to enrich uranium to a purity of up to 4.5%, higher than the 3.67% allowed under the JCPOA. It says Iran’s stockpiles of heavy water has decreased and is now back within the JCPOA limits.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the JCPOA on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the deal, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

However, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the international nuclear deal in 2018 and stepped up sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

Since May, Iran has rowed back on its nuclear commitments five times in compliance with articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA.

Iran says its reciprocal measures will be reversible as soon as Europe finds practical ways to shield the Iranian economy from unilateral US sanctions, which were imposed in 2018 when Washington withdrew from the nuclear deal.

The European signatories to the JCPOA have so far failed to uphold their commitments. They have expressed vocal support for the deal, but failed to provide meaningful economic incentives as required under the nuclear agreement.

The IAEA’s report on Friday came after the IAEA’s chief Rafael Grossi visited Tehran last week and held talks with Iranian officials, during which both sides agreed to expand their cooperation.

At the end of the two-day trip, Iran and the UN agency issued a joint statement on agreements and the results of high-level talks between the two sides.

According to the statement filed on the website of the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the Islamic Republic of Iran “agreed to further reinforce their cooperation and enhance mutual trust” to facilitate the full implementation of Iran’s Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement (CSA) and the Additional Protocol (AP) thereto, which is provisionally applied by Iran since January 16, 2016.

“After intensive bilateral consultations, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement on the resolution of the safeguards implementation issues specified by the IAEA, in good faith. In this regard, Iran is voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the IAEA and facilitating the IAEA verification activities to resolve these issues,” the statement said.

The statement said the Agency’s verification activities shall be carried out in accordance with the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol and the Agency’s standard verification practice as implemented for all states with Safeguard Agreements and Additional Protocols “on equal basis and without discrimination.”

In the context of Resolution GOV / 2015/72, adopted by the Board of Governors on December 15, 2015, “the IAEA and Iran recognize that these safeguards implementation issues are exclusively related to nuclear material and activities subject to safeguards under the CSA and the AP.”

In the present context and based on the analysis of information available to the Agency, the statement said “the IAEA does not have further questions to Iran and further requests for access to locations other than those declared by Iran under its CSA and AP.”

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Natanz Nuclear Site Incident in July, Act of Sabotage: Spokesman

reporter 1222 — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 06:45:32 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – The spokesperson for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran affirmed that a July incident at Natanz nuclear facility in the central province of Isfahan had been caused by a blast as an act of sabotage.

In an interview with Al-Alam on Sunday, Behrouz Kamalvandi said security investigations have confirmed that the July 2 incident in Natanz nuclear site was an act of sabotage.

“What is definite is that an explosion occurred in Natanz (nuclear site), but the security officials will announce at an appropriate time how and with what materials the blast took place and what the details are,” he explained.

On the latest status of Iran’s nuclear industry, Kamalvandi said the stockpile of heavy water produced inside the country has surpassed 3 tons, noting that part of the product would be exported to other countries, including a number of European states.

The spokesman, however, refused to name those purchasers, citing the US pressure on the target countries.

Commenting on IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s forthcoming visit to Tehran, the spokesperson expressed hope that the trip would help allay the concerns of both sides, according to the government’s official website.

Kamalvandi also noted that the two sites in Iran that the UN nuclear watchdog has requested inspection are located near Shahreza in Isfahan Province and near Tehran.

Iran was not initially opposed to inspection of the nuclear sites, but maintains that the IAEA’s questions must be based upon serious evidence and documents, he added.

“Questions based on claims revolving around espionage and similar cases have not been and would not be acceptable by any means,” the spokesman stressed, saying the IAEA will be given conditional access to the sites provided that the questions and doubts are over once and for all.

When the IAEA intends to ask a question, it is a member state’s right to demand relevant reasons and documents regarding that question, he noted.

Kamalvandi added that Grossi is going to visit Tehran only for talks on issues relating to the Safeguards, protocols and the JCPOA, stressing that Iran has no confidential data to hide from the IAEA.

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Nuclear Program Continues without Operational Limitations: Spokesman

reporter 1222 — Mon, 13 Jul 2020 08:16:26 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson highlighted the country’s steady progress in the nuclear industry after the reduction of its JCPOA commitments, saying Tehran does not face any operational restrictions on its nuclear program.

Speaking to reporters at a weekly press conference on Monday, Seyed Abbas Mousavi said the last key limitations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on the number of uranium enrichment centrifuge machines were aborted after Iran implemented the fifth and final step in reducing its commitments to the 2015 nuclear deal in the wake of the failure of the other parties to honor the agreement.

“Thereafter, Iran’s nuclear program does not face any operational restrictions, and the nuclear program moves forward by the Atomic Energy Organization (of Iran) according to the technical needs,” he underlined.

In the meanwhile, the spokesman added, Iran has continued to work in cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in accordance with the Safeguards commitments and the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol.

Mousavi also pointed to the US government’s attempts to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran which is going to expire in October under the JCPOA, saying, “The international community is familiar with the US regime. The hegemonic US regime cannot press on with its illegal stances because of control over international institutions, as the age of rule of law is not over, contrary to (US President Donald) Trump’s view.”

Washington returned its bans in May 2018 after unilaterally and illegally leaving a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and major world powers.

In May 2019, a year after the US’ exit, Tehran began reducing its commitments under the deal on a stage-by-stage basis in response to Washington’s pullout and the ensuing European failure to make up for America’s absence.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in June that Tehran would be prepared for talks with Washington as soon as the US returns to the JCPOA, complies with the UN regulations, apologizes to Iranians, and makes up for the damages it has caused to Iran.

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Zarif: Iran Triggered DRM on Six Occasions, Letters to Publish

reporter 1222 — Sun, 05 Jul 2020 03:53:58 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Saturday that he has so far written six letters to activate the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) of the 2015 nuclear deal and will soon publish all his letters.

“Don’t believe the hype: Iran triggered #JCPOA DRM on at least 6 occasions (in ref to US AND E3 violations),” Zarif tweeted.

He referred to the six occasions as:

“16 Dec, 2016 (U.S.)

“10 May, 2018 (U.S.)

“17 June, 2018 (U.S.)

“6, Nov, 2018 (U.S. & EU3)

“8 May, 2019 (U.S. & EU3)

“2 July, 2020 (EU3)

“I will be publishing all my letters shortly.”

Zarif wrote the letters based on Article 36 of the historic Nuclear Agreement officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

According to the article, “If Iran believed that any or all of the E3/EU+3 were not meeting their commitments under this JCPOA, Iran could refer the issue to the Joint Commission for resolution”.

On July 3, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi announced that Zarif has sent a letter to High Representative of the European Union Josep Borrell referring the cases of European countries’ non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal to its Joint Commission.

Mousavi said that the letter was sent following the irresponsible and illegal move made by the three European signatories of the nuclear deal (Germany, Britain, and France) in presenting a draft resolution at the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as their continued non-abidance with the commitments under the deal.

Borrell, the coordinator of the JCPOA between Iran and other signatories of the nuclear deal, reacted to Zarif’s letter by releasing a statement on July 4 in which he said he believed that the JCPOA “is a historic achievement for global nuclear non-proliferation contributing to regional and global security.”

The EU’s top diplomat added that he remained determined to preserve it, AP reported.

Russia’s Reaction

Meanwhile, Russia reacted to the recent developments by releasing a statement on July 5 in which Moscow called on the signatories to the Iran nuclear deal “to seek solutions to the crisis without resorting to emergency measures,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said.

According to the Russian News Agency (Tass), the Foreign Ministry’s added that it is crucial “to be guided by those lofty goals enshrined in the JCPOA and Resolution 2231 of the United Nations Security Council” despite problems and disagreements and to try to communicate.”

“Russia’s fundamental position is that any questions arising during the implementation of the JCPOA should be resolved within the Joint Commission,” Tass further quoted the Russian Foreign Ministry statement.

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