WASHINGTON — White House releases details of Iran nuclear deal amid calls for transparency
The White House has released a summary of the deal reached between six major world powers and Iran to curb its nuclear program. Iran has denied it wants to use the program to eventually build nuclear weapons but agreed to scale it back after the international community applied strict financial sanctions.
It allows Iran to continue research and development on its nuclear centrifuge technology, announcing the conclusion of technical talks on the implementation of an interim deal pausing Iran’s nuclear program.
The deal, signed in Geneva in November, is to go into effect on Monday and to last for six months while Iran and the P5+1 – the United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany – attempt to negotiate a comprehensive agreement to end the long-standing crisis.
The agreement is seeking to hold the most advanced parts of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for an easing of western economic sanctions on Iran. Iran has accepted to halt 20 percent of enriched uranium until January 20 and start diluting half of its uranium stock of which 20% was already enriched, according to the deal.
The White House summary said a “Joint Commission” had been established by experts from Iran, P5+1 countries and the EU as well as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to monitor the implementation of the agreement. Some of the limited and temporary easing of sanctions against Iran will include the release of $6 billion in relief which is a small part of total $100 billion that will still be restricted.
The Undersecretary of the US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman has informed the lawmakers regarding the details in a closed meeting. Some congress members said the plan is already increasing their concerns. Republican senator Lindsey Graham, known as the most critical of Obama administration’s foreign policy claimed “I am more worried than ever after the briefing,” IAAE has asked to keep the technical details secret, according to White House spokesman Jim Carney.
