Iran has refrained from expanding tests of more efficient models of a machine used to refine uranium under a nuclear agreement with the major powers, a UN report shows. An interim accord in 2013 between Iran and the major powers stipulated Tehran could continue its current nuclear research and development program.
A UN nuclear agency report in November said Iran had been feeding one of several new models under development, the so-called IR-5 centrifuge, with uranium gas, prompting a debate among western analysts on whether this may have been a violation of the preliminary accord.
A confidential document by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), distributed among its member states on Thursday and obtained by Reuters, showed the IR-5 had been disconnected.
“The disconnection reflects Iran addressing concerns about its enrichment (of uranium),” said the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS). “The disconnection provides additional confidence that Iran is abiding by its commitments under the Joint Plan of Action (the official name of the interim deal),” it said.
