February 03, 2015
Iran Drafts Law To Resume Nuclear Activities In Response To Sanctions
by RFE/RL
Iran’s parliament voted on February 3 to speed up discussions of a motion that asks the government to resume all its nuclear activities if fresh sanctions are passed by the United States.
Out of 205 lawmakers present, 173 voted in favor of giving the motion an emergency status, Iranian news agencies reported.
It wasn’t clear from the reports when the discussions would resume.
The draft bill says that in the event of fresh U.S. sanctions, Iran is obliged to immediately resume all nuclear activities that have been frozen in exchange of sanctions relief under the Geneva interim nuclear deal Tehran reached with world powers in 2013.
It says that Iran should activate its uranium enrichment centers “without any restrictions on the type and number of centrifuges and the amount of enriched uranium” under the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
It also says that Iran would accelerate construction and operation of its controversial Arak heavy-water reactor.
Iran and the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany, and Russia are negotiating for a lasting agreement that would prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability.
After missing two self-imposed deadlines last year, the six powers and Iran agreed to seek a political framework agreement by March and a comprehensive deal by June 30.
Last week, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee approved a draft bill that would impose new sanctions on Iran if there is no deal by the end of June.
The bill is not expected to come for a vote in the full Senate until at least late next month, after a group of senators agreed to hold off for two months to allow time for a diplomatic solution to be reached.
U.S. President Barack Obama has warned that he would veto any bill that would impose new sanctions on Iran.
Obama and other administration officials have warned that new sanctions could damage the ongoing negotiations with Iran.
Iranian officials have also warned against new sanctions.
The chairman of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, was quoted as saying on February 3 that "any new decision by the U.S. Congress [to impose sanctions] which will of course be a violation of the Geneva agreement will face the Iranian parliament's serious reaction.”
Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said last week that new sanctions would lead to a collapse of the talks.
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