(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 11. It is necessary to
maintain and continue cooperation with the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
said in a meeting with officials and scientists of the Atomic
Energy Organization of Iran in Tehran June 11, 2023, trend reports.
“Of course, this cooperation should be carried out within the
framework of safeguards. This issue regarding Iran's nuclear
industry has been repeatedly mentioned,” the supreme leader
added.
Khamenei added that the decision of the Iranian parliament
regarding the nuclear industry is a good and beneficial law for the
country. This law must be enforced, and there should be no evasion
of that law in providing information to the agency.
According to him, Iran is not after nuclear weapons. In recent
months, the US has also noted that there is no indication that Iran
is moving towards making a nuclear weapon.
In late 2020, the Iranian parliament has decided to implement a
strategic plan to tackle the sanctions, citing the
non-implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) signed between Iran and six countries and the imposition of
sanctions on Iran. According to the decision of the Iranian
parliament, as of February 23, Iran suspended the implementation of
additional steps and an additional protocol provided for in the
nuclear deal.
Iran's Fordow nuclear facility currently produces 17-20 grams of
20-percent enriched uranium per hour.
According to the decision of the Iranian parliament, 1,000 units
of IR2M centrifuges have been installed.
In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1
group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) in connection
with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its
withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November
of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the
JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019
that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called
INSTEX was formed.
On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its
commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as
stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories
that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran
announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding
the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of
the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal.
Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation
centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues
as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA on
Sept.5. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth
step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear
agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at
the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.
On Jan.2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the
number of its commitments within JCPOA.
On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint
Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group
(Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany), and imposed
new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018.
Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil
exports, more than 700 banks, companies, and individuals. The
sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets
abroad.
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