Michael Hernandez
13 January 2016•Update: 13 January 2016
WASHINGTON
Iran could meet its obligations under an internationally-brokered nuclear accord “within days”, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.
“Implementation day, which is the day on which Iran proves that it has sufficiently downsized its nuclear program and can begin to receive sanctions relief, is going to take place very soon, likely within the next coming days,” America’s top diplomat said during a speech at National Defense University.
“Just yesterday, the foreign minister reported to me that the calandria of the plutonium nuclear reactor is now out. And in the next hours, it will be filled with concrete and then destroyed,” he added, referring to Iran’s top diplomat, Javad Zarif.
The removal of the calandria, or central vessel, from Iran's nuclear facility at Arak, and its filling with concrete, are key requirements of the accord.
The Islamic republic and six world powers – including the U.S., Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia – agreed to unprecedented curbs on Tehran’s nuclear program last July in exchange for billions of dollars in sanctions relief.
According to the deal, the U.S. is to remove its nuclear-related sanctions on Iran’s oil, banking and commerce sectors following Iran’s compliance with key nuclear obligations.
The agreement is likely to significantly boost Iran’s economy, which has been hindered by years of internationally applied sanctions.
