Iran passes law to suspend inspections of its nuclear program

The Iranian Guardian Council on Wednesday approved a law that obliges the government to suspend inspections of its nuclear facilities by UN inspectors and to accelerate uranium enrichment beyond the limits established by the agreement signed between Tehran and six great powers (the United States, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, China and Russia) in 2015 if sanctions are not lifted within two months.

In response to last week's assassination of the father of its nuclear program, scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, of which Iran accuses Israel, Parliament, dominated by hardliners within the regime, approved a bill on Tuesday in this felt by an overwhelming majority, which will make a nuclear entente difficult.

The mission of the Council of Guardians is the final approval of the norms that do not contradict the principles of Islamic law or the Constitution of the country.

However, the position of Iran's supreme guide, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on matters of state, is currently unknown.

"Today in a letter, the Parliament's spokesman has officially asked the president to implement the new law," the semi-official Fars agency reported on Wednesday.

Under that new law, Tehran would give the signatories to the agreement two months to normalize banking relations and remove barriers to Iranian oil exports imposed after Washington abandoned the pact in 2018.

In reaction to the "maximum pressure" policy imposed by US President Donald Trump against the Iranian regime, which included the re-imposition of sanctions, the country has gradually reduced its commitment to the pact.

The decision of the Iranian legislators will complicate the return to the nuclear agreement of the president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden, who will take office on January 20 and who has always been in favor of a much more conciliatory policy towards Iran.

Biden has claimed that Washington would return to the pact and lift sanctions if Tehran returns to "strict compliance with the agreement."

"Now there is more pressure on the government of (President) Hasan Rohaní to ensure the return of the US to the JCPOA (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear pact, in its acronym in English)," tweeted Ariane Tabatabai , Research Fellow for the Middle East at the

German Marshall Fund

and at Columbia University.

Rohani, the Iranian architect of the 2015 pact, called Parliament's decision "damaging to diplomatic efforts" in pursuit of a lifting of sanctions.

One of the articles states that 120 kilograms of 20% enriched uranium must be produced and stored every year, well above the 3.67% purity allowed by the nuclear pact.

The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (IAEA) will also have to produce 500 kilograms of low-level enriched uranium each month, according to the project.

Furthermore, this plan provides for the start-up of a uranium metal production factory in Isfahan, the restoration of the Arak heavy water reactor, and the design of another 40 MW heavy water reactor.

The project also involves carrying out uranium enrichment activities with at least 1,000 IR-2M advanced centrifuges at the Natanz facility within three months of the law's ratification.

The nuclear pact signed by Iran only allows the use of first generation centrifuges.