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The renewal of the waivers would allow non-proliferation work to continue at the Arak heavy water research reactor and the Fordow fuel enrichment plant, which AEOI oversees. Analysts might also see it as Washington signalling it is still open to talking to Tehran over the nuclear deal dispute.
Under that deal between Iran and six world powers Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programme in return for the lifting of heavy economic sanctions.
Donald Trump wants a broader deal that would place tighter restrictions on the Iranian nuclear programme while also limiting Iran’s missile programme as well as its regional activities such as backing militias opposed to Israel and Arab allies of the US such as Saudi Arabia. Iran has demanded that prior to any talks the US must resume complying with the 2015 deal.
Under the nuclear deal, the Arak reactor was to be redesigned to render it unable to make bomb-grade plutonium under normal operation. the Fordow plant was to stop enriching uranium and be converted into a nuclear, physics and technology centre.
Chinese state-owned China National Nuclear Corp has done non-proliferation work at Arak, and Russia’s Rosatom has done it at Fordow. Rosatom has also provided uranium fuel for Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant.
Earlier this month, the UK sent several technical nuclear experts to Iran. The head of AEOI, Ali Akbar Salehi​,​ told Iranian MPs on July 28​ ​that Iran would restart activities at the Arak heavy-water nuclear reactor.
2.3 ​Iran ‘steps in to stop ousting of Iraqi PM’
Iran is said to have stepped in to prevent Iraqi Prime Minister Abdel Abdul Mahdi from being pushed out of office by two of Iraq’s most influential figures amid weeks of anti-government demonstrations. Sources close to both men outlined their view of the situation to Reuters on October 31.
Populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr this week demanded that PM Abdul Mahdi call an early election to quell the biggest mass protests seen in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003. Anger over corruption and widespread economic hardship is said to be driving the protests.
Sadr had lobbied his main political rival Hadi al-Amiri, whose alliance of Iran-backed militias is the second-biggest political force in parliament, to help push out Abdul Mahdi.
But in a secret meeting in Baghdad on October 30, Qassem Soleimani, head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force that handles the Guards’ operations abroad, is said to have intervened. Soleimani asked Amiri and his militia leaders to keep backing Abdul Mahdi, according to five sources with knowledge of the meeting cited by Reuters.
An Iranian security official reportedly confirmed Soleimani was at the secret meeting, saying he was there to “give advice”.
“[Iraq’s] security is important for us and we have helped them in the past. The head of our Quds Force travels to Iraq and other regional countries regularly, particularly when our allies ask for our help,” the anonymous Iranian official
9​ IRAN Country Report​ November 2019 www.intellinews.com