Iran Meets Fordow Centrifuge Removal Deadline as Part of Nuclear Deal - IAEA

In compliance with the nuclear deal between Iran and the international mediators, Tehran has removed excess equipment from the Fordow uranium enrichment facility, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano said in a statement on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On January 16, 2016, the IAEA verified Tehran’s compliance with the JCPOA, opening way for Iran's return to the international oil market. The same day, the European Union announced that it was lifting sanctions against Iran.

"Iran has removed excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in line with its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)," the statement reads.

In July 2015, Iran and the group of six international mediators, consisting of the European Union, China, Germany, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, reached the JCPOA aimed at guaranteeing the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.

The plan required Iran, within one year from the day of its implementation, to remove all excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and to transfer them to storage at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant under continuous Agency monitoring. According to the deal, over 1,000 centrifuges can remain at Fordow for research and other non-enrichment purposes.