Iran’s atomic agency chief said Thursday the path was clear for final implementation of a nuclear deal with world powers after “guarantees” were received on the redesign of a controversial reactor. Ali Akbar Salehi’s remarks came a day after UN inspectors reported that Iran had started to dismantle parts of its nuclear programme in compliance with the agreement struck in July with the United States and five other leading states. However his statement spoke mostly of planned alterations to Iran’s heavy water reactor at Arak, which under the deal is to have its core removed and filled with concrete so that it cannot produce substantial quantities of plutonium.The changes, made with foreign help, will cut off a possible route to an atomic bomb, with the reactor being used for research. All its spent fuel is to be shipped out of the country. Iran has always denied seeking to develop a nuclear weapon. In a secret report for its board of governors, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tehran had immobilised thousands of centrifuges at two of its atomic reactors and that it seemed to be hastening the pace of the Vienna accord’s implementation. The Iranian pace of ‘disconnecting’ the centrifuges at its Fordow and Natanz facilities makes sense, because as part of the deal with the P5+1 nations, the several layers of sanctions slapped on Iran must be gradually lifted. So far, according to the IAEA report, Iran has disconnected 4,500 centrifuges at the two nuclear reactors. According to the IAEA report, Iran was able to reduce the number of operational centrifuges in a month’s time — Oct 18 to Nov 15 — even though immobilising the centrifuges is an intricate and time-consuming process. The nuclear deal was criticised by hardliners, but by and large the Iranian people welcomed the breakthrough made in relations with the West, especially the US, by President Hassan Rouhani. Once the IAEA officially verifies the Iranian measures, sanctions by the UN, US and the EU will be gradually lifted.
pk.shafaqna.com
