A new, seventh round of talks on the Iranian nuclear deal began today, Monday, November 29, 2021 in Vienna, amid great doubts about its possibility of success in light of the mutual hostility between Washington and Tehran.
Iran's new approach to reviving the nuclear agreement will include - according to observers - insisting on the effective removal of all harsh sanctions imposed by the United States, a guarantee by Western countries to fully fulfill their obligations, and an affirmation that they will not violate the deal and abandon it again, and implement a mechanism to verify the lifting of sanctions.
Six rounds of talks were held between Iran and major international powers, in Vienna between April and June 2021, in an attempt to revive the nuclear agreement that the administration of former US President Donald Trump withdrew from on May 8, 2018, and push Iran to abide by its international commitments. related to the nuclear programme.
Tehran insists on a complete lifting of US sanctions before returning to its nuclear commitments, which it had abandoned over the past years, after Washington withdrew from the agreement and re-imposed severe sanctions on it.
Highlights of the 2015 nuclear deal
July 14, 2015: An agreement was reached on the Iranian nuclear deal between Tehran and the major powers, and was signed by the United States, France, Germany, Britain, China, Russia and Iran.
The agreement, with its annexes, was submitted to the UN Security Council for ratification, provided that it be implemented in coordination and full cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
January 2016: The agreement entered into force.
The agreement provides for the release of part of the Iranian assets frozen abroad.
The agreement provides for subjecting Iran's nuclear program to the monitoring of the International Atomic Energy Agency, with the aim of ensuring its peacefulness, and preventing it from being transformed into a military program that allows the manufacture of a nuclear bomb.
The agreement provides for the restoration of sanctions on Iran within 65 days in the event of non-compliance, and calls for allowing the United Nations access to all of Iran's nuclear sites.
The UN arms embargo imposed on Iran will last for 5 years, with the possibility of shortening the period if the International Atomic Energy Agency is convinced that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.
The United Nations ban on importing ballistic missile technology will remain in effect for up to 8 years.
The agreement allows Tehran to export nuclear products such as enriched uranium.
The agreement allows inspectors to enter suspicious sites, including military sites, and Iran has the right to postpone their entry or to appeal to an arbitration panel to which it is a party.
Uranium enrichment
Iran pledges to use its old IR-1 centrifuges to enrich uranium for 10 years, during which time the number of centrifuges in the Natanz reactor will be limited to 5,060, and the excess centrifuges will be placed in warehouses under supervision. International Atomic Energy Agency.
For the next 10 years, Tehran will use IR-4 IR-5 IR-6 ve IR centrifuges (based on detailed conditions) in its research and development operations. In the agreement), Iran will not resort to isotope separation technology in the uranium enrichment process, and will enrich uranium only with IR-1 reactors, and undertakes not to combine two centrifuges, and it has the right to replace malfunctioning centrifuges with Just the same model.
Tehran will not be able to enrich uranium to more than 3.67% within 15 years, and that is only at the Natanz site, and it will not be able to enrich uranium in the Fordow reactor (underground and immune to attacks), which will be converted into a reactor for scientific research, provided that experiments are carried out inside it. In coordination with the international community.
Iran's stockpiles of enriched uranium will be determined in the next 15 years, at 300 kilograms, with an enrichment rate of no more than 3.67%, provided that Iran sells the excess amount to international customers, and the percentage of uranium used as nuclear fuel in reactors will not be within the specified percentage.
Russia will supervise the provision of nuclear fuel, and Iran will use 20% enriched uranium in reactors designated for scientific research, and will convert it into nuclear fuel.
Heavy water reactors
Converting the heavy-water Arak reactor (it is feared that it will produce platinum used in nuclear weapons) to work with light water, and this will be done unanimously by all parties in the future, and a joint committee will be formed on the matter.
The Arak reactor will be converted into a reactor with peaceful purposes for scientific research, and its capacity will not exceed 20 megawatts, and it will be able to produce radioisotope batteries.
During the next 15 years, Iran will not build any heavy water reactors, will not store heavy water, and will sell the surplus in international markets.
spent fuel
In the next 15 years, Iran will not engage in any spent-fuel related activities except for the production of radioisotope batteries.
Iran pledges to ratify the IAEA's Additional Protocol on "intrusive" inspections, to give the necessary permits to IAEA inspectors, and to allow the inspectors to remain in its territory for an extended period of time.
lift sanctions
In return for Iran's commitments, the other parties pledge to lift all sanctions against Iran, including those imposed by the United Nations, in parallel with the reports of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the United States of America and the European Union pledge not to impose any new embargo on Iran.
Thanks to the agreement, Iran gained access to more than $100 billion in frozen assets abroad, and was able to resume selling oil on international markets and using the global financial system for trade.
All parties undertake to respect the provisions of the agreement and not to take any step that harms the agreement and its objectives.
In the event of disagreement during the implementation of the agreement, the joint committee composed of all parties shall consider any dispute that arises in the implementation phase of the agreement for a period of 15 days. From 3 people, including an independent member.
If the dispute persists, the matter will be referred to the Security Council, which will vote to lift or continue the embargo imposed on Iran.
In the event that the Security Council fails to pass any resolution, the United Nations sanctions will be re-imposed on Tehran.
If Iran violates any aspect of the deal, UN sanctions will be automatically reinstated for another 10 years, with the possibility of extending them for an additional five years.
America's withdrawal
May 8, 2018: US President Donald Trump announces the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement and the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran.
Washington added new sanctions related to ballistic missiles, Iran's activity in the Middle East, human rights, and terrorism.
The crisis has returned to square one.
Iran did not exit the agreement, but decided to gradually evade its commitments to the agreement through gradual steps of escalation. In January 2021, it reached uranium enrichment with a purity of up to 20% instead of 3.67% stipulated in the agreement, and the percentage increased after the Natanz reactor was exposed. For detonation process to 60%.
The other countries in the deal (France, Britain, Germany, China and Russia plus the European Union) scrambled to "save" the nuclear deal, to no avail.
Everyone had to wait for the US elections at the end of 2020 and for Trump to leave the presidency in early 2021, to begin serious attempts to save this agreement, and then the Vienna talks resumed on new grounds this time.
6 previous rounds
April 6, 2021: The first round of nuclear negotiations was launched in Vienna with the indirect participation of the US administration with the aim of reviving the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and the United States, Britain, France, China, Russia and Germany, before Washington withdrew from it in 2018, and the 4th round continued days.
April 15, 2021: The second round of negotiations began just four days after Iran's Natanz nuclear facility was attacked, and Tehran accused Israel of being behind it.
Two days before the start of the tour, Iran announced its intention to raise the rate of uranium enrichment from 20 to 60%, which raised the concern of the European parties to the agreement along with the United States.
April 23, 2021: Round two ends.
April 27, 2021: The third round begins.
May 1, 2021: Round 3 concludes
May 7, 2021: Round 4 kicks off.
May 19, 2021: Round 4 concludes.
May 25, 2021: Round 5 kicks off.
June 2, 2021: Round 5 concludes.
June 12, 2021: A sixth round of negotiations resumed in Vienna.
Two days earlier, the United States lifted sanctions imposed on 3 former Iranian officials and two companies that had previously traded in Iranian petrochemicals.
The move was described by a US official as routine, but it may demonstrate Washington's willingness to ease sanctions when justified.
June 20, 2021: Round 6 concludes.