Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Iran has denied the reports on removing centrifuges from its Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said no centrifuges have been removed, so far, but the atomic organization is making preparations for carrying out the task.

Araqchi said on November 2 that the process of removing the centrifuges may start in the coming days, the Iranian media reported.

Several Iranian MPs said in a letter released on November 1 that Tehran has begun removing centrifuges from the Natanz and Fordow nuclear sites and urged President Hassan Rouhani to stop their removal.

The lawmakers have urged the administration to withhold the execution of its commitments under a nuclear agreement reached with the P5+1 group of countries until the U.S. and EU sanctions against Tehran are declared null and void.

“The implementation of the JCPOA is as important as the agreement itself. We should make efforts to block all paths for the Americans and the Europeans to organize conspiracies and avoid lifting the sanctions,” Araqchi said, referring to the importance of implementing the JCPOA.

He further noted Iran has already started the implementation of the JCPOA

Araqchi also touched upon the conditions set by Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei concerning the implementation of the JCPOA, noting that the first condition has been fulfilled.

In his letter addressing Rouhani, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei demanded that Western countries issue firm guarantees and provide proof that all economic sanctions will be removed once Iran complied with the terms of the nuclear agreement.

Araqchi further said he does not see any problems from the Americans regarding the removal of the Western-imposed sanctions on Iran, and if problems appear Iran will ask the U.S. to resolve them.

Iran and the P5+1 group of countries – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia plus Germany – finalized the text of the JCPOA on Tehran’s nuclear program in the Austrian capital, Vienna. on July 14.

Under the agreement, Iran will accept restrictions on its nuclear program in return for removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran by the U.S. and the EU.

Under the JCPOA, Iran will convert the Fordow facility into a nuclear, physics and technology center.

International collaboration, including in the form of joint scientific partnerships, will be established in agreed areas of research. 1044 IR-1 centrifuges operating in six cascades will remain in one wing at Fordow. Two of these cascades will spin without uranium and will be transitioned, including through appropriate infrastructure modifications, for the production of stable isotopes.

The other four cascades, with their associated infrastructure, will remain idle. All other centrifuges and enrichment-related infrastructure will be removed and stored under continuous monitoring by the IAEA.

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Sara Rajabova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SaraRajabova

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