Iranian intents: Tehran appears to be dodging terms of deal

• Published date: 17 January 2021
• Author: JPOST EDITORIAL
• Date: 17 January 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

While Tehran claimed the uranium metal was meant to provide fuel for a research reactor, the European countries acknowledged that "Iran has no credible civilian use for uranium metal. The production of uranium metal has potentially grave military implications."

The E3 added: "We strongly urge Iran to halt this activity, and return to compliance with its JCPOA commitments without further delay if it is serious about preserving the deal."

It's doubtful that such a statement left Tehran trembling. In fact it probably wasn't moved at all. Iran for years has heard warnings issued by the partners to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. The JCPOA deal merely delayed Iran's program rather than stop it.

The deal blocked the production or acquisition of plutonium or uranium metal or their alloys for 15 years, but enabled Iran to begin to research producing fuel based on uranium metal in 2025 if the other partners to the agreement would agree to it. Iran itself knows that it's not such a long time to wait, if necessary.

The announcement that it would work to produce uranium metal came just after Tehran announced that it would begin enriching uranium up to 20%, going beyond the JCPOA's enrichment limitations.

The US and Israel left the so-called Iran deal in 2018, preferring to increase sanctions on Tehran instead.

In its final days, the Trump administration has stepped up pressure on Iran in the wake of its latest declarations, and the US State Department announced sanctions on anyone who transfers any of the 15 materials used for Iran's nuclear, military or ballistic missiles program.

But here, too, Iran knows that the administration of President-Elect Joe Biden will take a different approach. On Saturday, he announced that Wendy Sherman, who helped negotiate the JCPOA in 2015, would hold the number two position at the State Department – and Biden has already indicated that he wants to return to a form of the Iran deal with strict Iranian compliance to its terms.

So far, however, there have never been very little signs that...