Russian diplomat: Russia removes uranium from Iran

Kerry said that step took place Monday, when a ship carrying more than 11,300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium materials left Iran for Russian Federation.

The shipment was one of the most significant milestones yet for Iran as it works to fulfill its commitments under the July deal, Mr. Kerry said in a statement.

Ridding Iran of the enriched uranium was one goal of the multistep agreement signed in July between Iran and its major negotiating partners – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States – to guarantee that Iran’s nuclear activities remain peaceful.

The removal of enriched uranium is among the hurdles that Iran needs to clear under the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in order to get relief from nuclear-related sanctions. That envoy, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to be cited by name, said Iran had permitted Russian Federation to take possession of and ship out most of its low-enriched uranium.

US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the US would wait until the IAEA made a ruling to say formally whether Washington now accepted that Iran had less than 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium. In this vitally important case, Norway contributed critical funding to the commercial transactions involved in reducing the amount of enriched uranium in Iran, and also provided expertise in managing some of these transactions.

Even as Iran was moving to complete one key commitment, the Foreign Ministry warned that Tehran would reciprocate if there is any breach in the deal. The International Atomic Energy Agency is responsible for verifying everything before sanctions can be eased. The transfer means that Iran no longer has the fuel needed for a nuclear weapon.

With the handover of uranium complete, Iran may now be only weeks away from receiving what it wanted out of the deal – about $100 billion worth of economic sanctions lifted, which will allow Tehran to re-enter the global financial system and sell crude oil on world markets.

The is not the first time that Kerry has sought to quell Iranian complaints about the new law, which applies to Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Syria.

According to Kerry, “The recent changes in visa requirements passed in Congress, which the administration has the authority to waive, will not in any way prevent us from meeting our JCPOA commitments”. The deal states Iran has to remove the majority of its stockpile.