US Secretary of State John Kerry has described yesterday’s shipment of more than 8.5 tonnes (25,000 pounds) of low-enriched uranium materials from Iran to Russia as “one of the most significant steps” the Middle Eastern country has taken toward fulfilling its commitments under the nuclear accord it signed with world powers earlier this year.
October 18 marked Adoption Day of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the international agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions. The JCPOA was signed in July by Iran and the E3/EU+3 (China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the USA – also referred to as the P5+1 – plus the European Union). Under its terms, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment activities, eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and limit its stockpile of low enriched uranium over the next 15 years. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is tasked with overseeing Iran’s actions under the agreement.
“Five months after we, the European Union, and our P5+1 partners finalized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Iran, I remain so proud of our team in achieving what was truly one of our most important accomplishments of 2015 – ensuring that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful going forward,” Kerry said in a written statement published on his official website. “As we get closer to Implementation Day, the next major milestone in the JCPOA, I am pleased to report that we have seen important indications of significant progress towards Iran completing its key nuclear commitments under the deal.”
