Monday, March 9, 2020

Iran’s nuclear deal breaches mean breakout time could be mere months — experts

VIENNA, Austria (AFP) — Tehran’s nuclear program is back under the spotlight after the UN’s nuclear watchdog revealed the extent of Iran’s uranium enrichment drive and reprimanded it for denying access to two locations.
The revelations may lead to heated exchanges at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) latest quarterly board of governors meeting which starts on Monday in Vienna.

Which limits is Iran breaking?

Since May 2019, Iran has announced successive breaches of the deal struck four years earlier with world powers which restricted its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
The breaches were in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the agreement in 2018 and reimposition of harsh sanctions on Iran.
The latest announcement came in January, when Iran said it was no longer bound by any restrictions on its nuclear program.
An IAEA report issued on March 3 said that the announcement itself did not lead to any noticeable changes, but also revealed the cumulative effect of Iran’s previous breaches.
There has been a dramatic increase in Iran’s uranium stockpile, which now stands at over 1,000 kilograms — more than five times the limit fixed in the deal. READ MORE