The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports that as of February 18, 2017, Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium (LEU) is 101.7 kg, after 99.9 kg of LEU stuck in pipes and other equipment at a plant in Isfahan are deemed unrecoverable. According to the IAEA report, Iran's stock of heavy water is within the 130-tonne limit set by the nuclear deal at 124.2 tonnes, after 11 tonnes were shipped to Oman.
News Briefs
February 21, 2017
The U.S. Department of Justice is reviving an investigation of Clearstream Banking SA, a Luxembourg-based subsidiary of Deutsche Boerse AG, and its alleged financial ties to Bank Markazi, Iran's central bank. The investigation is also examining whether Deutsche Boerse AG made false statements to the U.S. government regarding Clearstream's continued involvement with Iran.
-- Bloomberg
February 14, 2017
The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEOI), Behrouz Kamalvandi, announced that Iran's IR-8 centrifuges have a uranium enrichment capacity of 20 SWUs per year, compared to the currently installed IR-1 centrifuges at 1 SWU per year. Iran plans to mass produce IR-8 centrifuges beginning eight years after the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
-- Press TV
February 8, 2017
Iran launched a short-range Mersad surface-to-air-missile that flew 35 miles, according to a U.S. official. This test took place at the Semnan launch center, from where a ballistic missile test occurred last month and from where earlier this month Iran had apparently prepared to launch a satellite using its Safir rocket.
-- Fox News
February 4, 2017
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force conducted military drills dubbed Defenders of the Velayat Skies in Northern Iran. The following missile systems were used in the drill: the Khordad-III, which has a range of 75 kilometers and is capable of engaging multiple targets; the Tabas, which is also capable of striking multiple targets and has a range of 60 kilometers; and the Sayyad-II, which has a range of 75 kilometers and can counter electronic warfare. Radar systems with tracking ranges between 150 and 1,100 kilometers were also tested during the drill, including the Qadir, Matla al-Fajr, and Kavosh systems.
-- Fars News Agency
February 3, 2017
The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on multiple entities in response to Iran’s ballistic missile program, support for terrorism, and destabilizing activities in the region. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified three ballistic-missile procurement networks: one operating between Iran and China run by Abdollah Asgharazadeh; a Gulf-based network run by Kambiz Rostamian; and an Iran-based network centered around Mabrooka Trading that sought carbon fiber and laboratory equipment for Navid Composite, a subsidiary of U.N.-sanctioned Sanam Industrial Group. OFAC also designated an IRGC support network in Lebanon that is working with Hizbollah.
-- U.S. Department of the Treasury Press Release
February 2, 2017
According to German newspaper Die Welt, Iran tested the nuclear-capable Sumar cruise missile. The missile traveled approximately 600 kilometers in its first known successful test and may have a range of up to 3,000 kilometers. Unlike ballistic missiles, cruise missiles are not restricted under current U.N. resolutions.
-- Reuters
February 2, 2017
Iran successfully test-fired a new ballistic missile, according to Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan. According to a U.S. official, the missile exploded after traveling 630 miles (1,013 kilometers). Iran continues to deny that its ballistic missile activity violates U.N. Security Council resolution 2231 by maintaining that these missiles are not "designed to be capable of carrying nuclear weapons."
-- Tasnim News Agency
January 28, 2017
Iran has injected uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas into its IR-8 centrifuges, according to a statement by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). The AEOI says that the work is part of Iran's uranium enrichment research and development activities and is in line with the country's commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. In a statement in December 2016, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that the IR-8 replaces the first generation IR-1 centrifuge.
-- Tasnim News Agency
January 16, 2017
Iran has met the deadline for limiting the number centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant to just over 1,000 machines, according to a statement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Hundreds of centrifuges were transferred to an underground storage facility at Natanz. Under the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Iran had one year from January 16, 2016 to move the excess centrifuges.
-- Reuters