Question: Which of the following country had completely withdrawn itself from the nuclear deal of 2015 a year ago?
(a) Iraq
(b) US
(c) Iran
(d) Russia
Answer: (b)
Related facts:
- On 8th May, 2019, Iran announced to withdraw itself partially from the nuclear deal signed with world powers in 2015. This announcement comes a year after Donald Trump pulled out USA from the deal accusing Iran for not following its provisions. Tensions between Iran and the US have risen since US quit.
- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will be sending a letter informing the remaining parties to the deal – the UK, France, Germany, China and Russia. It will be giving a 60 day time to them for negotiating the financial deal and oil export sanction put over it, the failure of which will compel Iran`s partial withdrawal from the deal.
The deal:
- The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is a detailed, 159-page agreement between Iran and the P5+1 (China France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States) on 14th July, 2015.
- The nuclear deal was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231, adopted on 20th July, 2015.
- 16th January, 2016 was its Implementation Day and the deal was to be terminated in October 2025.
- The deal took place after several year of tension due to Iran’s efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. Iran insisted that its nuclear programme was peaceful, but the international community did not believe that.
Commitment under the deal:
- Low-enriched uranium with 3%-4% concentration of U-235 can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants. Iran cannot use Weapons-grade uranium which is 90% enriched.
- Iran had two uranium enrichment sites named Natanz and Fordo. The deal allowed enrichment in Natanz with constrains while Frodo was to be developed as a nuclear, physics and technology centre.
- The deal limited Iran to install no more than 5,060 of the oldest and least efficient centrifuges at Natanz until 2026. Iran had almost 20,000 centrifuges in June 2015.
- Iran’s uranium stockpile was reduced by 98% to 300kg (660lbs), which remains un-exceeded till 2031.
- Iran was building a heavy water reactor in Aarak which had the capacity to produce Plutonium. Iran said to redesign the reactor so it could not produce any weapons-grade plutonium.
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear watchdog, was given the rights to vigilantly monitor the declared nuclear sites of Iran and also verify that no fissile material is moved covertly to a secret location to build a bomb.
Recent tension:
- President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US from the deal last year arbitrarily. This led to increase in tension between Iran and US. Iran is facing massive economic sanctions from US.
- US announced to all its trade allies to immediately stop importing oil from Iran. India and China were earlier exempted from this sanction but from the coming week they have to abide the sanction. India said it will follow the sanction.
- The U.S. also warned Europe against doing business with Tehran via a system of non-dollar trade to avoid U.S. sanctions.
- The previous sanction imposed by UN, US and EU over Iran to stop its uranium enrichment crippled its economy. It costed Iran more than $160bn (£118bn) in oil revenue from 2012 to 2016 alone.
Links:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/may/07/iran-to-announces-partial-withdrawal-from-nuclear-deal
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/rouhani-announces-partial-withdrawal-from-iran-nuclear-deal-latest-1.858681
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-33521655 https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/us-threatens-to-impose-more-sanctions-on-iran/article27072770.ece
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-48187371
https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/JCPOA-at-a-glance