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Iran ‘preparing activities’ in case nuclear deal fails
VIENNA, June 6, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Iran said Wednesday it was in
“preparatory works” to restart nuclear activities in the event of the failure
of the 2015 accord between Iran and world powers.
In such a scenario, Iran could “restart its activities without any
limits,” Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Reza Najafi told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the IAEA’s board
in Vienna.
The future of the deal — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
(JCPOA) — has been thrown into doubt after US President Donald Trump
announced last month that the EU would withdraw from the accord and re-impose
sanctions.
The preparatory works mentioned by Najafi refer to steps to boost uranium
enrichment capacity by producing new centrifuges, as outlined on Tuesday by
Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi, who heads the Iranian Atomic Energy
Organisation.
Najafi said that in addition Iran had notified the IAEA of a plan to
restart activity at its uranium conversion facility in Isfahan to produce the
UF6 feedstock for centrifuges.
The IAEA confirmed on Tuesday that it had “received a letter from Iran on
4 June informing the Agency that there is a tentative schedule to start
production of UF6”.
However, Najafi emphasised that the measures do “not mean that right now
Iran will start any activities contrary to the JCPOA”.
The remaining signatories to the pact have been scrambling to find ways to
preserve the accord since Trump’s announcement.
Last month a senior Iranian official said European powers had until the
end of May to come up with an economic package to compensate Iran for the
effects of the US withdrawal.
On Wednesday Najafi said that negotiations were still continuing at an
expert level but that it could not be an “endless process” and needed to be
concluded “very soon”.
Asked about the IAEA’s call for Iran to provide “timely and active
cooperation” with the inspections mandated under the JCPOA, Najafi said that
Iran had interpreted this as encouragement to extend voluntary invitations to
the agency to conduct inspections.
However he said that “while Iran is not benefiting from the deal, no one
should expect Iran to implement… voluntary measures”.
BSS/AFP/RY/1815 hrs