Iran removes Arak reactor core – Tehran’s senior nuclear official

Iran’s Fars news agency, which is close to the country’s hard-liners, on Monday reported that technicians had already dismantled the core of the Arak reactor and filled it with concrete.

In exchange, Iran agreed modest restraints on its nuclear program.

Kerry sent a widely publicized letter to Zarif, suggesting that the new restrictions wouldn’t impede the nuclear deal amid suggestions from Tehran that they would constitute a violation of the agreement.

And I think we can all imagine how a similar situation might have played out three or four years ago. The deal is expected to be fully implemented soon if Iran does everything required.

The move comes as Western and Iranian officials say they expect the full implementation of last July’s final nuclear deal to take place in coming days.

The Obama administration said today that no apology was made to Iran over the two US boats that Tehran said drifted into territorial waters, insisting that video showing one of the captured sailors apologizing must have been made under duress.

That’s eight incidents, (by no means a comprehensive list of Iranian bad behavior over the past half year) that we’ve documented here, even before Tuesday’s seizure of the American ship and sailors.

For good measure, the official said of the sailors, “They’ve been well treated”.

It’s his comment about Iran becoming a “successful regional power … abiding by global norms and worldwide rules”, that is worth looking at.

The White House would be prohibited from taking them off the list unless it assures Congress they have not “facilitated a significant transaction” for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, a foreign terrorist organization, or anyone sanctioned in connection with Iran’s weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs, according to the legislation.

“It was a mistake, that was our fault, and we apologise for our mistake”, the sailor said on IRIB state TV.

“Everything is ready for the lifting of sanctions once Iran is judged to have met its obligations under the deal”, said an European Union diplomat involved in sanctions work who declined to be named.

Representative Mike Pompeo, a Republican member of the House Intelligence Committee and former U.S. Army officer, on Wednesday called for an investigation into whether Iran violated the Geneva Conventions during the detention of the 10 American sailors.

The deal has also not sat well with many hardliners in the Islamic Republic, who view it as a capitulation to United States pressure and an abandonment of the country’s independence. Defense Secretary Ash Carter thanked Kerry for his efforts.

While it will still take years for Iran to receive the new weapons systems and upgrade its military, of more immediate concern are the funds that will be available to the Iranians to support and arm its proxies in the region, chief among them Hizbollah in Lebanon. He told Zarif that the sailors were in transit between Kuwait and Bahrain and had experienced some sort of mechanical failure.

“The fact that Kerry can just pick up the phone and call Zarif to resolve the situation shows that the personal relationship and modicum of trust between them proved crucial”, says Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst with the International Crisis Group.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby (AFP photo)This January 15, 2011 photo shows the heavy water facility near Arak, Iran.

The official said that in Kerry’s many conversations with Zarif, he focused on one main message: “If we were able to do this in the right way, we can make this into what will be a good story for both of us”.

The capture of the sailors came hours before President Obama delivered his final State of the Union Address.