Iran to Cut Uranium Enrichment, Number of Centrifuges Once Nuclear Deal is Concluded

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi (C), Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami (R) and his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi (L) during a press conference in Tehran in March 2022. (AFP)
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi (C), Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami (R) and his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi (L) during a press conference in Tehran in March 2022. (AFP)
TT
20

Iran to Cut Uranium Enrichment, Number of Centrifuges Once Nuclear Deal is Concluded

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi (C), Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami (R) and his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi (L) during a press conference in Tehran in March 2022. (AFP)
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi (C), Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami (R) and his deputy Behrouz Kamalvandi (L) during a press conference in Tehran in March 2022. (AFP)

Iran said it will cut uranium enrichment capacity and the number of centrifuges if an agreement is reached in Vienna, the country’s nuclear chief said Wednesday.

The 2015 Iran nuclear, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), stipulates that Iran’s uranium enrichment would be limited to 5060 IR-1 centrifuges for ten years.

The agreement also allows Iran to enrich uranium in research and development without storing enriched uranium and obtaining more efficient centrifuges, such as IR-4, IR-5, IR-6, and IR-8.

According to Head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami, Iran will stick to this limit once a new deal is reached.

In 2019, Iran announced the resumption of uranium enrichment, stepping further away from its deal with world powers after the United States pulled out of it.

It has gradually scaled back its commitments to the deal, under which it restrained its enrichment program in exchange for the removal of most international sanctions.

Meanwhile, Eslami said his country has handed over documents related to outstanding issues to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“We handed over the documents on March 20 to the agency. They are reviewing those documents and probably the agency's representatives will travel to Iran for further talks and then the IAEA will present its conclusion,” Eslami told a televised news conference, Reuters reported.

Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog last month agreed a three-month plan that in the best case will resolve the long-stalled issue of uranium particles found at old but undeclared sites in the country, removing an obstacle to reviving the Iran nuclear deal.

Eslami affirmed that one of the particles discovered by IAEA inspectors does not exist in Iran, without offering evidence or details.

He blamed regional archenemy Israel for “sowing doubts” about the nature of Iran’s nuclear program AP reported.

Israel has said it believes Iran would pursue a nuclear weapon, despite Western intelligence assessments indicating otherwise.

“The major topic discussed with the agency is the allegations and fabricated documents Israel prepares and submits on a regular basis.”

In response to a question on whether the IAEA considers espionage and unjustified documents on the Iranian program a reference in its investigation, Eslami said the IAEA can usually proceed from whatever source it gets the information, and it has no restrictions.

As a member of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iran is obligated to explain the radioactive traces and to provide assurances that they are not being used as part of a nuclear weapons program.

The IAEA has staked its credibility on finding information about the sites, with its chief, Rafael Grossi, routinely lambasting Iran for its failure to answer where the radioactive particles came from and where they are now.

The IAEA in 2019 first discovered the traces of man-made uranium that suggested they were once connected to Iran’s nuclear program.

The agency has long said Iran had not given satisfactory answers on those issues, but in early March they announced a plan for a series of exchanges.

Grossi said last month he will aim to report his conclusion by the June 2022 (IAEA) Board of Governors' meeting, which begins on June 6.



Taiwan Deploys Advanced US HIMARS Rockets in Annual Drills

FILE PHOTO: The Taiwanese military conducts its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) live-fire test launch at the Jiupeng base in Pingtung, Taiwan May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Taiwanese military conducts its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) live-fire test launch at the Jiupeng base in Pingtung, Taiwan May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
TT
20

Taiwan Deploys Advanced US HIMARS Rockets in Annual Drills

FILE PHOTO: The Taiwanese military conducts its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) live-fire test launch at the Jiupeng base in Pingtung, Taiwan May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The Taiwanese military conducts its first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) live-fire test launch at the Jiupeng base in Pingtung, Taiwan May 12, 2025. REUTERS/Ann Wang/File Photo

Taiwan's military began deploying one of its newest and most precise strike weapons on Saturday, ahead of live-fire drills meant to showcase the island's determination to resist any Chinese invasion.

Two armored trucks with HIMARS - High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems - were seen maneuvering around the city of Taichung near Taiwan's central coast on the fourth of 10 days of its most comprehensive annual exercises yet, Reuters reported.

The live-fire portion of the Han Kuang drills is expected next week.

In wartime, said Colonel Chen Lian-jia, a military spokesperson, it would be vital to conceal HIMARS from enemy aerial reconnaissance, satellites "or even enemy operatives behind our lines" until the order to fire was given.

China views democratically governed Taiwan as its own and has intensified military pressure around the island over the last five years, staging a string of intense war games and daily naval and air force patrols around the territory.

Taiwan rejects China's sovereignty claims, with President Lai Ching-te saying only Taiwan's people can decide their future.

China's defense ministry said this week the Han Kuang drills were "nothing but a bluff" while its foreign ministry said its opposition to US-Taiwan military ties was "consistent and very firm".

Regional military attaches say the HIMARS deployment in a warlike exercise will be closely watched, given that they have been used extensively by Ukraine against Russian forces. Australia has also purchased the Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) systems. Taiwan took delivery last year of the first 11 of 29 HIMARS units, testing them for the first time in May. With a range of about 300 km (190 miles), the weapons could strike coastal targets in China's southern province of Fujian on the other side of the Taiwan Strait.

Taiwanese military analysts say the weapon would be used with its locally developed Thunderbolt 2000 launchers so Chinese forces could be targeted as they left port or attempted to land on Taiwan's coast. A Thunderbolt unit was also seen in a park near the HIMARS units.

Senior Taiwanese military officials say the Han Kuang drills are unscripted and designed to replicate full combat conditions, starting with simulated enemy attacks on communications and command systems, leading to a full-blown invasion scenario.

The drills aim to show China and the international community, including Taiwan's key weapons supplier the US, that Taiwan is determined to defend itself against any Chinese attack or invasion, the officials say.