Iran began implementation of the July 14 nuclear deal on Monday, a day after it was officially adopted by Tehran and the 5+1 Powers.

As officials from both sides met in Vienna, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran will start taking centrifuges for uranium enrichment off-line “in a few days”. Under the agreement, the Islamic Republic is to reduce its current level of 19,000 centrifuges to just over 5,000, and to dilute or move out of the country about 98% of its stockpile of uranium.

Araqchi said that Iran is likely to pursue the sale of the excess 20% uranium rather than diluting it to 5%. He declared:
[We] had good discussions with one of the countries for the exchange of enriched uranium for natural uranium, and we are striving to execute our commitments in the shortest amount of time possible. We expect this process to conclude within several weeks.
The Deputy Foreign Minister said Iran is “likely” to meet its goal of implementation of the agreement by the end of 2015. The Rouhani Government is eager for International Atomic Energy Agency verification so the US and European Union will begin the process of lifting or suspending sanctions.

President Obama said on Sunday’s “Adoption Day” that Washington is ready to extend the conditional waiver of sanctions as soon as the IAEA verification is confirmed.

See Iran Daily, Oct 20: Nuclear Deal Reaches “Adoption Day” as US Anticipates Lifting of Sanctions



Rouhani Government Jabs Again at Guardian Council Over Supervision of Elections
The Rouhani Government has jabbed again at the Guardian Council’s power to disqualify candidates from elections.

Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said, at a meeting with the heads of universities and higher education institutions, that it is the “the right of the people” to participate in the elections “as a symbol of democracy”. Thus, candidates meeting qualification requirements “should not be deprived” of the opportunity to participate.

With Parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections set for February, President Rouhani tried in September to challenge the Guardian Council’s vetting, which has disqualified prospective candidates such as former President Hashemi Rafsanjani from standing for the Presidency, the Majlis, and other bodies. His effort was finally blunted by the Supreme Leader, who said,

See Iran Daily, Sept 10: Supreme Leader Pushes Back Against His President

An Expediency Council official said that Rafsanjani, who heads the Council, will run in February to regain the chair of the Assembly of Experts.

Rafsanjani led the Assembly, which names the Supreme Leader and can nominally remove him, from 2007 to 2011.

By EA WorldView