Iran actions within JCPOA, says senior nuclear chief

Iran is taking actions within the nuclear deal of 2015 and the recent actions taken by Tehran were in accordance with paragraph 26 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Talking to reporters in Bushehr, Chief of Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi said, ‘Now, the Islamic Republic is acting within the JCPOA and it has not done anything outside this deal.

According to point 26, these actions were taken into consideration that we can take some actions in a bid to create balance.’

“According to point 26 of the JCPOA, if they do not live up to their commitments, we can reduce our commitments accordingly in a bid to create a balance in the deal,’ he was quoted as saying by Islamic Republic News Agency.

‘The will of senior officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran have become materialised in a short time. It was a very big challenge for us at the AEOI to increase the country’s nuclear enrichment capacity to 3,500 Sus. This is very big in a short time,’ he reiterated.

He stressed that 15 new generation of nuclear centrifuges have been used at Natanz nuclear facility to increase the nuclear enrichment capacity to 2,660 Sus.

Mr Salehi noted that the US and Europeans didn’t remove sanctions but now Iran does not have any nuclear limits any more.

‘We didn’t start reducing our nuclear commitments, they weren’t committed to their promises and Iran couldn’t witness that such actions take place unilaterally,’ the Iranian official mentioned.

He stated that the balance has been created now, adding that Iran is not willing to reduce more commitments.

He said that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Iran on Sunday in a bid to take samples and and officially announce Iran’s starting uranium enrichment and its degree.

Iran took the fourth phase of reduction of its nuclear commitments in response to the European inaction towards the US withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement and re-imposition of economic sanctions.