news Iran Hands Over Stockpile of Enriched Uranium to Russia

Russia ships leaving Iran on Monday brought almost all of Iran's lowenriched uranium stockpile, filling a big step in the nuclear deal struck last summer, and for the first time in nearly a decade, apparently leaving Iranwith sediki fuel to produce nuclear weapons.

The delivery was announced by Secretary of State John Kerry and confirmed by a spokesman of the civil nuclear company Rosatom, Russia.Mr. Kerry called it "one of the most significant steps Iran has taken toward fulfilling the commitment" and American officials say that may now be just a few weeks before the agreement was reached in July would go intoeffect.

On "implementation day" roughly $ 100 billion of Iran's assets will be liquidated, and the State will be free to sell oil on the world market and operates in the world's financial system.

For President Obama, for the peaceful removal of fuel from Iran is one ofthe biggest achievements of his record on foreign policy, the culmination of a seven-year-long efforts at various times involved the sanctions, Iran's main nuclear facilities at cybersabotage, and repeated bomb threats IsraelState facilities.

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Iran's agreement in 200 words

A short overview of the highlights of the Iran nuclear Pact.

Less than a year ago, many in the Obama administration — and almost allsenior officials in Israel, which regards Iran as a dangerous enemy — say they doubt Iran will agree to part with the fuel supplies that give the power potential to build weapons, though Iran says it is not their intention.

Mr. Kerry, in a statement, said that the ship, officials said Russia was Mikhail Dudin, carrying nuclear material pound 25000. That included, said Mr Kerry, the fuel closest to bomb-grade quality: it has been enriched to a purity of 20 percent. Iran officials have said that fuel for a reactor makingmedical isotopes for special, but considered a threat because it wouldrequire relatively little further enrichment to produce weapons.

Clean the material Iran is the main goal of the agreement multi-Pole to uncover what the United States and international regulators called themilitary effort in the form of a civilian nuclear program.

Iran is still enriching centrifugal, dismantling the uranium, plutoniumreactor and disabling, among other measures required under the nuclearAgreement struck in July.

To save the face of the goal, Iran called for part delivery of uranium "fuelswap." But the fuel is received, some form of Kazakhstan, natural uranium, which would require substantial processing to be used for nuclear reactorsor weapons.

Mr. Kerry statement said that with the removal of the fuel, Iran "flighttime" — the time it takes to produce weapons — have already movedfrom two to three months to six to nine months. Prior to the agreementcoming into effect, that time is supposed to extend to a full year.

Iran was allowed to hold 300 pounds, or about 660 pounds of low-enriched uranium, under the deal. But it's not enough to produce a singleweapon.

In a telephone interview, said a spokesman for Rosatom, Sergei Novikov,single shipment meets the requirements between Iran, the United Statesand five other world powers including Russia to remove Iran stockpile of uranium enriched to this level.

"All that is mentioned in the plan of the six countries have been taken from Iran," he said.

Other fuels that can be used to make a bomb, plutonium, created byirradiating uranium in nuclear reactors. The process of changing someuranium to plutonium. The agreement requires Iran to shut down reactorsthat are capable of creating plutonium. The Obama administration saysthese two terms close second street to become a nuclear power Iran.