Tehran (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Iran has prepared a load of 11 tons of low-enriched uranium and shipped it to Russia. The US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke of "significant steps" taken by Tehran in maintaining its commitments under the agreement signed in July 2015 with the United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Russia and Germany.
This shipment of enriched uranium, said Kerry, has tripled the time Iran would need to produce a nuclear bomb, from three to nine months.
In the future, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will decide if and how Tehran has completed its commitments. A key step, after which the United States and other world powers will kick off the dismantling of the sanctions - economic, energy, commercial – currently in place against Iran.
The agreement approved by the Majlis (the Iranian Parliament) in October provides for the withdrawal of international sanctions against Iran, and Tehran’s commitment to "build confidence" on the peaceful nature of its nuclear program. In case of violations, sanctions will be reintroduced within 65 days.