Iran revives 40 centrifuges, undermining international nuclear agreement

Iran announced Saturday that it has started up advanced centrifuges to increase its stock of enriched uranium, ignoring Europe's calls to stop cutting nuclear commitments.

The Islamic Republic, however, stressed that it would continue to allow the same access to UN inspectors to monitor its nuclear program, before a visit to Tehran by the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Cornel Feruta .

Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi detailed on Saturday measures of the new phase of Tehran's commitment reduction plan under Iran's international nuclear deal concluded in Vienna in 2015. This new step is the third step in Iran's strategy since May in retaliation for Washington's decision to unilaterally denounce this agreement in 2018.

Iranian President Hassan Rohani on Wednesday launched the new phase of the plan by ordering to break any limit to research and development in the nuclear field.

According to Behrouz Kamalvandi, 20 IR-4 and 20 IR-6 type centrifuges were started on Friday, while the Vienna agreement allows Tehran to produce enriched uranium only with centrifuges of first generation (IR-1).

Iran's response to the US withdrawal from the nuclear pact

This text was concluded between Tehran and the 5 + 1 group (China, United States, France, Great Britain, Russia and Germany).

According to the IAEA, it submits Iran to the strictest inspection regime ever conceived by this UN agency. "With regard to IAEA monitoring and access (…) commitments (from Iran) will be honored as before", said Behrouz Kamalvandi.

The new centrifuges, he said, must accelerate the production of enriched uranium and increase the stocks of the country, which since July exceed the limit (300 kg) set by the Vienna agreement.

This pact has been threatened since US President Donald Trump denounced it in May 2018. Washington has since reinstated economic sanctions against Tehran, which it continues to intensify, in the name of a policy of "maximum pressure", intended to compel Tehran to negotiate a new agreement, which, according to Donald Trump, would offer better guarantees.

The reinstatement of US sanctions deprives Iran of the economic benefits it expected from the agreement. This text provides for the lifting of part of the international sanctions that isolated Iran for years in exchange for a drastic limitation of its nuclear program to ensure that the country will not acquire the atomic weapon. By reducing its commitments, Tehran – which has always denied the nuclear bomb – intends to put pressure on other states parties to the agreement to help it bypass US sanctions and, first, to export its oil .

Since May, Tehran has increased its stocks of enriched uranium beyond the limit set by the agreement, and now enriches this ore to 4.5%, above the ceiling (3.67%), but very far the threshold required for military use. The country's stocks reach 300 kg, and now exceed the limits set by the Vienna Agreement.

Europeans try to save Vienna agreement

Behrouz Kamalvandi said Saturday that Iran does not currently intend to increase its enrichment activities to more than 4.5%.

"IAEA Acting Director General Cornel Feruta to Visit Tehran Saturday to Meet Senior Iranian Officials Sunday, September 8"The agency said in a statement, while Iran and the United States are engaged in a tug of war around the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that Washington has released.

On Thursday, the EU called on Tehran to "backtracking"On its plan for further reduction of its commitments, London judged Saturday"particularly disappointing"the startup of the new centrifuges"at a time when"Europe is working"to a de-escalation of tensions with Iran".

Visiting Paris, US Defense Minister Mark Esper said "not (to be) surprised"by the decision of Iran, which he accuses of"violate"the agreement of Vienna Tehran affirms on the contrary that all measures taken since May are"comply"With this text, led by France, the three European countries party to the agreement redouble diplomatic efforts to save this text from a complete disintegration, and defuse the tension between Iran and the United States, which almost turned the military clash in June and remains very strong.bring Iran back to compliance with the Vienna Agreement"said Florence Parly, the French Minister of Armies.

But the project, discussed in recent days, a credit line of 13.5 billion euros that would be granted to Iran to allow its return to full implementation of the agreement, stumbles on Washington's refusal to reduce the penalties. IAEA interim boss Cornel Feruta is scheduled to meet with IAEA President Ali Akbar Saléhi and Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday. In a statement, the UN agency says it is "aware" of the Iranian announcement and that its inspectors "on the ground (…) will report"soon the situation.