NPT’s Article IV and Iran’s nuclear proposal



Iranian president told Frankfurter Allgemeine newspaper on eve of new nuclear talks that Iran can halt 20 per cent-enriched uranium process if the West countries guarantee to supply all needed nuclear fuels for Iranian nuclear power plants.
On the other hand, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani announced last week that Iran can decide for itself to what degree it wants to enrich uranium based on "domestic demands". He spoke on the eve of nuclear talks between Iran and the worlds' six major powers in Moscow.
Iran and P5+1 negotiated the nuclear issue in Russia on Monday without result and want to keep talks going onTuesday.
It seems Iran is preparing to compromise towards the West, but the coincidental issue is Iran's demand that its uranium enrichment rights be respected and accepted by the international community, as Ali Bagheri, deputy of Iran top nuclear negotiator suggested. Iran's demand is a disputed point because the UN Security Council has adopted four rounds of sanctions over Iran, asking it to halt uranium enrichment in total. Iran's demands contrast with UNSC's sanctions.
Iran holds about 140 kg of 20 per cent enriched, alongside 6000 kg of 3.5 per cent enriched uranium while the enrichment process continues in Islamic Republic.
According to Article IV of the IAEA's Non-Proliferation Treaty, parties to the treaty have "the inalienable right ... to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes'.
However it is not the whole story. Iran is the only member of IAEA that accepted NPT without accepting the Additional Protocol that allows the IAEA to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities whenever it wants. Also, Iran is the only member of IAEA that has not signed the IAEA's Convention on Nuclear Safety.
Iran has two announced enrichment uranium plants, both them were hidden launch areas unveiled by foreign espionage operations.
Iran has only one nuclear power plant working by this 20 per cent enriched fuel level and that is the Amirabad Research Power Plant which has been working since the 1970s and its fuel has been loaded last year. Iran argues it will construct more pool type reactors using 20 per cent enriched uranium, but hasn't started construction of them yet.
Regarding these facts, if Iran insists on the withdrawal of sanctions and authorising its enrichment rights by a 3.5 per cent level, versus halting the 20 per cent enrichment level, negotiations will likely fail. Especially, after IAEA's November report that says Iran probably has done nuclear related tests at the Parchin military base and asked Iran to allow the IAEA to inspect there which Iran rejected.

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