





Iran has committed to halt progress on its enrichment capacity:

·         Not install additional centrifuges of any type.




·         Not construct additional enrichment facilities.




Iran has committed to: 


·         Provide IAEA access to centrifuge assembly facilities.


·         Provide IAEA access to uranium mines and mills.


·         Provide more frequent inspector access to the Arak reactor.


The other key concern about Iran’s nuclear technology centered on the heavy water reactor being built at Arak, since it would produce significant amounts of plutonium. Even though Iran has no technology for recovering this plutonium from the reactor fuel, the reactor was seen as a significant risk by those most concerned about weapons development. Significantly, the agreement halts construction activity at the reactor, specifically prevents its being fueled and even halts work on producing fuel for the reactor.

In return for these concessions, Iran gets limited sanctions relief totaling around $7 billion. The bulk of the world-wide sanctions on Iran’s sales of oil and banking transactions remain in place, and so there is almost no easing of the pressure on Iran’s economy. The blocking of Iranian bank transactions has limited not just purchase of dual use materials by Iran, it also has led to extreme shortages of medical supplies and equipment. The agreement puts into place a new pathway designed to allow transactions related to humanitarian supplies:


By destroying its supply and stopping further production of 20% uranium, while at the same time giving up access to over 10,000 centrifuges for enrichment, Iran has taken significant steps toward making the path to a nuclear weapon much more unlikely. By further increasing access to IAEA inspectors, Iran also is moving toward much greater transparency. Much work remains to be done to reach a final agreement, especially regarding a solution to the disagreement over what work may or may not have been carried out at Parchin, but for the first time in over a decade, diplomats can now take credit for a huge accomplishment that has taken a significant step toward making the world a safer place.

Update: A pdf of the agreement has been posted by the EU. Here is how the enrichment sites are handled there, from footnotes one (addressing Natanz) and two on page 2:



Iran is clearly giving up use of centrifuges that are installed but not being used for enrichment. That corresponds to the 10,000 centrifuge number discussed above.

13 replies
  1. emptywheel says:

    So the big two questions are 1) can Rouhani survive without an improvement in the quality of life for average Iranians and 2) will the Chuck Schumers of the world scuttle this by increasing sanctions?

  2. Jim White says:

    @emptywheel: Yeah, selling this in Iran will be a huge challenge. Their economy is in tatters and the tiny bit of relief for them in this agreement does nothing for the average citizen other than what eventually makes it through the new pipeline for transactions on humanitarian goods. Rouhani would be smart not to use the entire six months in getting to the final agreement and real sanctions lifting.

    As for folks like Schumer and Mark Kirk, my plan is to mock them mercilessly over accepting MEK money in exchange for their war mongering. Who knows, maybe we can get a little pressure on them for how transparent their position now is.

  3. what constitution? says:

    But, but, but, who are we gonna demonize if not the Iranians? Might want to take a closer look at New Zealand, they may be stockpiling Kiwis or, worse yet, about to halt access to Lord of the Rings film sites. And hey, how come there’s nothing in the WH talking points about any restrictions on Iran using its nuclear medicine capabilities to cure cancers within its military personnel? Shouldn’t that be included, just to be on the safe side?

  4. shoirca says:

    Iran is sitting on a goldmine with the South Pars gas field, one of the biggest in the world. The U.S. is desperate to get its hands on it for the Southern Corridor pipeline project. Controlling Iran’s energy by controlling energy corridors isolates China and Russia. Now that the TAPI pipeline seems doomed given the failure of the Afghan war, an Iranian deal seems like a no-brainer.

  5. Snoopdido says:

    From Buzzfeed – Israeli Officials Knew White House Was Holding Secret Talks With Iran – http://www.buzzfeed.com/sheerafrenkel/israeli-officials-knew-white-house-was-holding-secret-talks

    “Israeli officials knew they were being kept in the dark as the U.S. conducted secret talks with Iran, and the knowledge that the White House was “going behind Israel’s back” was one of the key sources of tension between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, according to a senior Israeli minister and other Israeli officials.



  6. emptywheel says:

    @bmaz: And as someone (think that Sanctions guy I retweet a lot) noted that existing sanctions are mostly derived from EOs. So trying to force Obama to keep them may present interesting legal issues.

  7. Don Bacon says:


    The Real Deal:
    –recognition of democracy in Iran
    –Iran’s willingness to negotiate in good faith
    –rupture of anti-Iran coalition
    –an example, for other countries, of Western defiance
    –highlighting of UNSC malfeasance





  8. Nigel says:


    Something else that is likely to trouble opponents of the agreement, as it reduces their opportunity to overestimate Iran’s nuclear capabilities….

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