Continuing to move toward full compliance with the P5+1 nuclear deal as quickly as possible, the Iranian government is planning to export materially its entire stockpile of enriched uranium to Russia in the next few days.
Under the terms of the deal, Iran has to reduce its domestic stockpile to around 300 kg, and with several tons of enriched stockpile yet to be used up in its Bushehr Power Plant, the only way to get down below the stockpile limit was to send much of its enriched uranium to Russia.
Russia, in turn, has sent Iran a shipment of yellowcake, unenriched uranium, which doesn’t count toward the stockpile. Iran is keeping a very small number of centrifuges running, which will eventually enrich this new uranium, but only as they are burning through their existing stockpile.
With elections coming in February, Iran’s Rouhani government is scrambling to get in compliance as fast as possible, in hopes of getting sanctions relief in place to campaign on. Though it was initially believed sanction relief would be coming in spring at the earliest, the IAEA now says they’re likely to affirm compliance in January.
Iran Deal is a great example of what can be achieved through peaceful diplomacy.
I will take diplomacy over listening to a rabid (mad dog) like John McCain sing:
'Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran'
Beside from being a lousy singer, the man is a damn fool.
Just remember this same fool McCain went to Syria and met with Al Qaeda terrorists (AL Nusra) and told the world we should be funding them! there are photos of him as well! That by the way was enough to get anybody sent to Guantanamo Bay and tortured ad infinitum ten years ago!
Just you watch. Between now and compliance there will be some excuse to delay the lifting of sanctions. The US is entirely duplicitous and untrustworthy.
perhaps russia, with newly deployed air defenses, is ready to
announce a no-fly "safe harbour" area to protect the kurds
in southern turkey…..R2P i think they call it…………..
Amusingly, the point of sending the unarium to Russia is to allow Iran to steal Russia's energy markets in Europe more quickly, thereby breaking Putin's stranglehold! Since that must be obvious to Putin, one can only imagine that he's having to do it to keep Iran sweet on Syria.