Iran complying with N-deal: UN watchdog

Days after a deadline to reach a lasting nuclear deal was pushed back four months, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran was continuing to comply with its international commitments, in a report seen by AFP.

Under a Geneva agreement with world powers reached in November, the Islamic republic vowed to freeze certain nuclear activities for six months in return for some relief from hard-hitting sanctions.

As of the July 20 deadline, Tehran had indeed cut half of its stock of 20-percent enriched uranium down to five-percent purity, while the rest has been converted into uranium oxide, the IAEA said.

Tehran has also refrained from enriching above the five-percent level at any of its nuclear facilities, the report said.

This was a significant step towards alleviating international fears that Tehran may be seeking to build a bomb, as the West has long believed and Iran has long denied.

Last week, Washington acknowledged that Iran’s ‘track record over the last six months... has been surprisingly favourable.’

Since January, Tehran has consistently stuck to its obligations as laid out under the November interim deal.

While uranium must be enriched to 90 percent to make a bomb, enriching to 20-percent purity levels is just a short step from producing weapons-grade material.

Five-percent enriched uranium, on the other hand, is commonly used in nuclear power reactors.