Russia says Washington is to blame for Iran’s accumulation of excess enriched uranium

TEHRAN - Tehran is unable to export enriched uranium and heavy water exactly because of U.S. sanctions that encumber implementation of certain provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a Russian official has said, Sputniknews reported on Tuesday.

By Hanif Ghaffari

Iran’s game just started

TEHRAN - By announcing that Iran will begin keeping its excess uranium and heavy water, the Islamic Republic now sends a firm and clear message to the west, exactly one year after U.S. president, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from its nuclear deal with Iran. 

Salehi: Iran not obliged to restrict uranium to 300kg and heavy water to 130 tons

TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Salehi, director of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said on Wednesday that Iran is not obliged to restrict its stockpile of enriched uranium to 300kg and its heavy water to 130 tons.

Iran can resume 20% enrichment in 4 days: Salehi

TEHRAN - Ali Akbar Salehi, director of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, has said that Iran can resume uranium enrichment to the purity of 20 percent in 3-4 days.

Iran insists ready to resume 20% uranium enrichment if JCPOA crashes

TEHRAN – Iran’s nuclear chief says the Islamic Republic is not “bluffing” when it says it is ready to resume twenty-percent uranium enrichment at the Fordow nuclear facility in case the remaining parties to the 2015 nuclear deal fail to abide by the accord, Press TV reported on Thursday.

MP says U.S. was given samples from Iranian nuclear rotor sediments in late 2016

TEHRAN – MP Hosseinali Haji-Deligani on Monday accused the government of having gone beyond the 2015 deal - aka Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) – by giving samples of nuclear rotor sediments to Americans.

Iran started talks with U.S. after Obama accepted Iran’s right to uranium enrichment: Amir Abdollahian

TEHRAN - Hossein Amir Abdollahian, a senior foreign policy advisor to the parliament speaker, has said Iran began talks with the United States in 2011 after then U.S. President Barack Obama accepted Iran’s right to enrich uranium and through a mediation by Oman.

Zarif said says “oil and banks” are the litmus test for keeping the nuclear deal alive. 

Tehran says will boost enrichment if EU acts passively

TEHRAN – Tehran says it could increase uranium enrichment if the European Union continues to act passively in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.

IAEA: Iran sticking to the nuclear deal

Iran has remained within the main restrictions on its nuclear activities imposed by a 2015 deal with major powers, a confidential report by the UN atomic watchdog said on Thursday.

Iran to receive second batch of enriched uranium

TEHRAN – Iran will soon receive a second batch of 20 percent-enriched uranium which has been kept in Russia under the 2015 nuclear deal and now will be used at the Tehran nuclear reactor, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) said on Saturday.

By Mohammad Ghaderi

Iran's 12 preconditions for negotiating with U.S.

TEHRAN - Reaffirming the withdrawal of Trump's government from the nuclear deal with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently put forward conditions for concluding a "new agreement" with Iran at the Heritage Foundation.

Tehran says ready to speed up uranium enrichment

TEHRAN – The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) is ready to accelerate its uranium enrichment work, but hoping that such decision would not be necessary, AEOI chief Ali Akbar Salehi said on Tuesday.

‘Iran can resume nuclear enrichment to 20% purity in 2 days’

TEHRAN - Behrooz Kamalvandi, spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said on Monday that Tehran can resume enriching uranium to the purity of 20 percent in less than two days.

By Javad Heirannia

Nixing JCPOA against U.S., Iran interests: former senator

TEHRAN – Bennett Johnston, an American politician in the Democratic Party and lobbyist who represented Louisiana in the United States Senate is the current chairman of the American-Iranian Council.  Mr. Johnston is of the opinion that under the present circumstances, neither the EU nor Iran would accept Trump’s new conditions that undermine the Iran nuclear contract.

By Fatemeh Mohammadi

Iran will not accept giving up its own missile program: ex-senior CIA official

TEHRAN – Professor Paul Pillar, who was CIA intelligence analyst for 28 years, tells the Tehran Times that “Iran will not accept giving up its own missile program when other states in the region have ballistic missiles and in some cases air forces that are superior to that of Iran.”  

By Javad Heirannia

There is no concerted movement in EU to accept Trump’s demands: Adib-Moghaddam

TEHRAN - Professor Arshin Adib-Moghaddam, Chair of the Centre for Iranian Studies at the London Middle East Institute believes “I don't think that there is any concerted movement in the EU to accept the demands set by Trump.”

By Javad Heirannia

Iran's missiles program is not covered by JCPOA: Shireen Hunter

TEHRAN - Shireen Tahmaasb Hunter, a professor of political science at Georgetown University, tells the Tehran Times that that “It is generally understood that Iran's missiles program is not covered by the JCPOA. She adds But America, and key European countries such as the UK and France, believe that separate negotiations should begin regarding Iran's missile program aimed at answering the concerns of Iran's regional neighbors and other states.”

By Javad Heirannia

Congress unlikely to change JCPOA: Jim Walsh

TEHRAN - Professor Jim Walsh from University of Massachusetts says “Mr. Trump wants Congress to make changes to an international agreement, which obviously Congress does not have the power to do.  They include changing the sunset provisions and making a one year breakout time permanent.”

By Javad Heirannia

Iran won’t accept restrictions on uranium enrichment permanent: Nephew

TEHRAN – Richard Nephew, who served as the lead sanctions expert for the U.S. team negotiating with Iran, is of the opinion that I do not believe the EU will accept to make restrictions on Iran's uranium enrichment permanent.

By Javad Heirannia

Trump hopes to continue his game of diplomatic chicken with Iran: expert

TEHRAN – Professor Nader Entessar from South Alabama University says “The game of "what will the U.S. do, what it will not do" every 90 days must end.  Iran cannot afford to remain in a state of continuous limbo with respect to the JCPOA's fate.” 

By Javad Heirannia

I doubt the dates in JCPOA will be changed: Matthew Bunn

TEHRAN - Matthew Bunn, a specialist in nuclear security at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, believes that “The dates in the JCPOA were the result of hard-fought compromises.  I doubt they will be changed.”

By Javad Heirannia

Trump wants to destroy Iran’s ability to defend itself against aggressors: Professor

TEHRAN – A senior expert in Arab affairs who teaches international business at George Washington University is of the view that Trump in reality “wants to destroy Iran’s ability to defend itself against aggressors from the region and farther afield.”