Iran nuclear deal under review as uncertainty grows
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VIENNA: Iran and major powers met Tuesday in Vienna to review adherence to their 2015 nuclear deal as uncertainty grows about the landmark accord's future under US President Donald Trump.
The regular quarterly meeting heard, as Washington confirmed last week, that Iran is sticking to its side of the deal with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, diplomats said.
The accord saw Tehran drastically curb its nuclear activities in order to ease concerns that Iran wanted to build an atomic bomb. In return nuclear-related Western and UN sanctions were lifted.
However, Trump has ordered a review, saying last Thursday that Iran was "not living up to the spirit" of the "terrible" deal because of its actions in other areas.
This refers to Iran's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, rebels in Yemen, and militias in Iraq and in Lebanon as well as Tehran's ballistic missile programme.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Monday the review would examine the nuclear accord "in the larger context of Iran's role in the region and in the world, and then adjust accordingly."
Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson last Wednesday expressed misgivings about the nuclear deal itself, in particular the time limits in key areas.
Iran cut the number of centrifuges that "enrich" uranium -- making it suitable for power generation and at high purities for a bomb -- from about 19,000 to 5,000.
Together with other restrictions and ultra-tight UN inspections, Iran pledged to stay at this level for 10 years and not to enrich uranium above low purities for 15 years.
Its uranium stockpile will also stay below 300 kilos (660 pounds) -- well short of what would be needed for an atomic bomb -- for 15 years.
Tillerson said the accord "fails to achieve the objective of a non-nuclear Iran" and had been a way of "buying off" Tehran "for a short period of time". (APP)
