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 By Didier LAURAS and Jastinder KHERA in Vienna Paris (AFP) March 3, 2020
The head of the UN's atomic watchdog on Tuesday sounded the alarm at Iran's cooperation with the agency and demanded "clarifications" over an undeclared site in Tehran where uranium particles were found late last year. It comes on the same day as the IAEA issued two reports, one on Iran's current nuclear programme and the other detailing its denial of access to two sites the agency wanted to visit. Rafael Grossi, the new head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who was in Paris to meet President Emmanuel Macron, told AFP: "Iran must decide to cooperate in a clearer manner with the agency to give the necessary clarifications." "The fact that we found traces (of uranium) is very important. That means there is the possibility of nuclear activities and material that are not under international supervision and about which we know not the origin or the intent. "That worries me," Grossi added. The IAEA has for months been pressing Tehran for information about the kind of activities being carried out at the undeclared site where the uranium particles were found. While the IAEA has not identified the site in question, diplomatic sources told AFP the agency asked Iran about a site in the Turquzabad district of Tehran, where Israel has alleged secret atomic activity in the past. In addition, according to a report issued by the IAEA on Tuesday, "the Agency identified a number of questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three locations in Iran". At one of them the report said the IAEA had from early July 2019 observed "activities... consistent with effort to sanitize part of the location". A diplomatic source said that the three locations were separate to Turquzabad. The source also said that the agency's queries were thought to relate to Iran's historic nuclear activities and not to its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The IAEA report says the agency first raised questions about the sites last year and that Iran refused access to two of them that the agency wished to visit in late January. Iran then sent the IAEA a letter saying it did "not recognize any allegation on past activities and does not consider itself obliged to respond to such allegations". - Deal in danger - The second report from the agency detailed Iran's current breaches of several parts of a landmark 2015 international deal on scaling back its nuclear programme. The report showed Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium now stands at more than five times the limit fixed under the accord. It said that as of February 19, 2020 the Iranian stockpile stood at the equivalent of 1,510 kilogrammes, as opposed to the 300 kg limit set under the agreement. Some experts consider this amount to provide sufficient material to produce a nuclear weapon, depending on its exact level of purity. However, it would still need several more steps, including further enrichment, to make it suitable for use in a weapon. The report says that Iran has not been enriching uranium above 4.5 percent. An enrichment level of around 90 percent would be needed for weapons use. Richard Nephew, a former lead US sanctions expert during the negotiations for the 2015 deal, pointed out that while the latest figures were "a problem (that)... needs to be addressed", Iran's uranium stockpile remains a fraction of what it was before the deal actually came into force. "This remains not yet a crisis and we have time to fix it diplomatically, if anyone in Washington or Tehran is still so inclined," he said on Twitter. The 2015 deal has been hanging by a thread since the US withdrew from it in May 2018 and went on to impose stinging sanctions on Iran, in particular targeting its vital oil sector. The latest IAEA reports come just days after a meeting in Vienna of the remaining parties to the deal ended without a clear plan to keep the accord alive. The 2015 agreement promised Iran an easing of very damaging economic and other sanctions in return for scaling back its nuclear programme. Tehran has been progressively reducing its commitments to the accord in retaliation for the US move.
Unravelling of the Iran nuclear deal Here is a snapshot: - US withdrawal - On May 8, 2018, President Donald Trump withdraws the US from the deal, saying, "We cannot prevent an Iranian nuclear bomb under the decaying and rotten structure of the current agreement". Iran has always denied its nuclear programme has any military dimension. Tehran urges the remaining parties -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- to salvage the deal. - US sanctions - In August and November 2018, Washington reimposes sanctions on Iran and companies with ties to it, notably hitting Iran's vital oil sector and central bank. Major international firms halt their activities and projects in Iran. In May 2019, Washington ends its sanctions exemptions for countries buying Iranian crude. - Iran starts walk-back - Iran in May 2019 announces its first step back from the deal, suspending commitments to limit its heavy water and enriched uranium stockpiles. Trump sanctions Iran's steel and mining sectors. In July, Tehran says it has exceeded the accord's restrictions on its enriched uranium reserves and uranium enrichment level. - 'Highest sanctions' - In September, tensions soar after aerial attacks on two major Saudi oil facilities, blamed on Tehran, which denies involvement. Trump announces new sanctions on Iran's central bank. - Iran takes more steps - Later that month, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) nuclear watchdog says Iran has started using advanced centrifuges to enrich uranium. On November 4, Tehran says its enrichment increased tenfold and that it has developed two new advanced centrifuges. Later that month, it resumes enrichment at its underground Fordo plant in its fourth walk-back and says its heavy water reserves have passed the accord's limit. In December, Britain, France and Germany accuse Iran of developing nuclear-capable ballistic missiles. Tehran dismisses the charge. - Brink of war - Tensions between Washington and Tehran spiral after a January 2020 US drone strike kills top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad, sparking a tit-for-tat confrontation in which Iran fires missiles at two US bases in Iraq. A Ukrainian plane is then brought down "unintentionally" by an Iranian missile on January 8, killing all 176 on board. Iran announces its fifth step back from the deal on January 5, forgoing a limit on its number of centrifuges. - Dispute mechanism launched - In mid-January, the deal's European signatories trigger its dispute mechanism, accusing Iran of repeated violations, while saying they remain committed to the deal. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani responds that Iran's daily uranium enrichment is higher than it was before the deal was concluded. Later that month, Tehran threatens to walk out of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) on nuclear weapons if the dispute goes before the UN Security Council, which could reimpose international sanctions. On February 14, Iran demands significant economic advantages from Europe in return for cancelling all or part of its rollback measures. - Enriched uranium stocks - On March 3, the IAEA says Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium is more than five times the deal's limit and that it has breached the 3.67 percent threshold on uranium enrichment. It says that Iran refused access to two sites that it wished to visit in January as part of its nuclear verification mission.
Iran open to 'any initiative' after talks to save nuclear deal Vienna (AFP) Feb 26, 2020 Iran said on Wednesday it was open "to any initiative" as Western powers stepped up efforts to save a 2015 deal to curb Tehran's nuclear ambitions - on life support since a 2018 decision by the US to withdraw its backing and reimpose sanctions. After talks with the remaining parties to the deal in Vienna, Iranian negotiator Abbas Araghchi said he was "fully prepared" to reverse measures that apparently violated Tehran's commitments - but only if the other side reciprocated. Britain, France an ... read more
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