Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 2
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Twenty lawmakers have urged President Hassan Rouhani to stop removing centrifuges from the Natanz and Fordow nuclear facilities in central Iran.
"Unfortunately, over the past two days, several contractors have started removing centrifuges in Fordow, saying they will remain there for two weeks to complete the task," the lawmakers said in a letter addressing President Rouhani Nov. 1, Fars news agency reported.
According to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA aka nuclear deal), clinched between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, Tehran is committed to reducing the number of centrifuges.
Under the JCPOA, available on the official website of the US Department of State, Iran will convert the Fordow facility into a nuclear, physics and technology centre. International collaboration, including in the form of joint scientific partnerships, will be established in agreed areas of research. 1044 IR-1 centrifuges operating in six cascades will remain in one wing at Fordow. Two of these cascades will spin without uranium and will be transitioned, including through appropriate infrastructure modification, for stable isotope production. The other four cascades, with all associated infrastructure, will remain idle. All other centrifuges and enrichment-related infrastructure will be removed and stored under continuous monitoring by the IAEA.
The lawmakers also called upon President Hassan Rouhani to obey Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's directives on the implementation of the nuclear deal.
"The government is expected to fully respect the conditions which serve the Iranian nation's interests, in line with the implementation of the law and defending the interests of the great Iranian nation," the MPs' letter read.
The parliamentarians further warned the president that failing to comply with the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's directives, would put the nation's interests at risk.
The legislators also mentioned that Tehran should take no practical steps to implement the JCPOA before US President Barack Obama and the EU official statement is released on the complete termination of the financial and economic sanctions against Tehran.
Earlier, in a mid-October letter addressing President Rouhani, Khamenei outlined a set of conditions for implementing the JCPOA.
"The US president's remarks in two letters to me saying that he doesn't intend to overthrow the Islamic Republic were soon proved untrue by his support for seditious moves in Iran, financial support for the dissidents opposed to the Islamic Republic and his clear military threats - and even nuclear threats which can lead to filing a detailed lawsuit against him at the international courts- revealed the US leaders' real intention," said the supreme leader, who accused the USA of maintaining its hostile approach towards Iran, even after reaching the nuclear agreement.