Halt to Iran’s nuclear programme ‘could start as early as next month’

VIENNA // Iran’s six-month freeze of its nuclear programme could begin as early as next month, Tehran’s envoy to the UN atomic watchdog said yesterday.

The breakthrough accord struck on Sunday between Iran and the United States, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, foresees Iran rolling back some of its nuclear programme temporarily in exchange for sanctions relief.

“We expect that either at the end of December or the beginning of January we should start implementing the measures agreed by both sides,” said Reza Najafi, envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The six-month freeze is meant to make it more difficult for Iran to develop a nuclear weapon and to build confidence while Tehran and the six world powers hammer out a long-term agreement.

Iran has pledged to limit uranium enrichment to low fissile purities. It will also lower the purity of its stockpile of medium-enriched material, which is relatively easy to convert to weapons-grade, or convert it to another form.

Iran also committed for six months “not to make further advances” at its Fordo and Natanz uranium enrichment sites and at the Arak heavy water reactor, which could provide Iran with weapons-grade plutonium once operating.

The Islamic republic, subject to UN and Western sanctions, will continue enriching uranium to low levels and it will retain its stockpile of low-enriched material.

It had been unclear when the accord was to take effect, with technical discussions between Iran, the powers and the IAEA, whose job verifying Tehran’s compliance will be key, set to hammer out the details.

“We have had preliminary discussions with the agency with regard to the nuclear-related measures ... to be verified by the agency,” Mr Najafi said “We are going to continue those discussions.”

Meanwhile, Iran made it clear that Israel would not be part of long-term talks on their nuclear programme.

The foreign minister Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the Islamic Republic “would not attend a meeting in which the occupying regime participates”.

Iranian officials routinely refer to Israel that way because it controls Palestinian territories.

Mr Zarif’s remarks were in response to possible Israeli participation in nuclear talks. Iran’s news agency, IRNA, did not elaborate on source of the reports on Israel’s possible presence.

“Never such a thing will happen and we definitely we will not be in the room in which representatives from the Zionist regime will have presence,” Mr Zarif said.

* Agence France-Presse with additional reporting by Reuters