ADDS remarks of Kerry, Zarif, Merkel, Steinmeier, Hammond

ANKARA

The U.S. and EU will end the implementation of all nuclear-related economic sanctions on Iran in return for UN verification of its key nuclear commitments, EU foreign policy chief said late Thursday.

Addressing a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in the Swiss city of Lausanne, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini read out a joint statement that said: “The European Union will terminate the implementation of all nuclear-related economic and financial sanctions, and the United States will cease the application of all nuclear-related secondary economic and financial sanctions, simultaneously with the IAEA-verified implementation by Iran of its key nuclear commitments.”

Mogherini also said that a new UN Security Council resolution would also endorse the termination of all previous nuclear-related resolutions and incorporate certain restrictive measures for the mutually agreed period of time.

Her statements came after Iran and the major world powers’ group, P5+1 countries announced their compromise on a framework accord.

Zarif read out the same statement in Farsi language that also spelled out the measures Iran would take in its new understanding with Western powers.

“As Iran pursues a peaceful nuclear program, Iran's enrichment capacity, enrichment level, and stockpile, will be limited for specific durations and there will be no other enrichment facility than Natanz. Iran's research and development on centrifuges would be carried out on a scope and schedule that has been mutually agreed,” the statement said.

“Fordow will be converted from an enrichment site into a nuclear physics and technology center. International collaboration will be encouraged in agreed areas of research. There will be -- there will not be any fissile material at Fordow. An international joint venture will assist Iran in redesigning and rebuilding a modernized heavy water research reactor in Arak that will not produce  weapons grade plutonium,” it added.

Fordow is a nuclear enrichment facility in the Iranian city of Qom.

The joint statement also stressed that there would be no reprocessing, and the spent fuel would be exported.

Moreover, the International Atomic Energy Agency, or the IAEA, would be permitted the use of modern technologies, and would have announced access on Iranian nuclear sites through agreed procedures, including to clarify past and present issues.

Iran would also take part in international cooperation in the field of civilian nuclear energy, which could include supply of power and research reactors.

U.S Secretary of States John Kerry also appeared before the media in Lausanne after President Barack Obama made his remarks from Washington. In an apparent hint to U.S. Congress members who tried to sabotage the landmark deal with Iran by writing to the Iranian president to not trust their own American government, Kerry assured Iran and the entire world that there was now no turning back.

"There will be no sunset to the deal that we are working to finalized," Kerry said.

He also revealed that the framework agreement would be carried out in phases. "Parameters of this agreement will be implemented in phases, some provisions will be in placed in 10 years, others will be placed 15 years, others still will be for 25 years, but certain provisions, including many transparency measures will be in place definitely into the future. They will never expire," he said.

Kerry also warned that if the world powers found out that Iran was not keeping part of its bargain, international sanctions would return. "If we find at any point that Iran is not complying with this agreement, the sanctions can snapback into place," he said.

 Enrichment restrictions

Later, Kerry tweeted on his official page a U.S. State Department link that outlined the parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, according to which Iran agreed to reduce, by approximately two-thirds, its installed centrifuges. "Iran will go from having about 19,000 installed today to 6,104 installed under the deal, with only 5,060 of these enriching uranium for 10 years. All 6,104 centrifuges will be IR-1s, Iran’s first-generation centrifuge."

Moreover, Iran agreed to not enrich uranium over 3.67 percent for at least 15 years and reduce its current stockpile of about 10,000 kilograms of low-enriched uranium to 300 kilograms of 3.67 percent low-enriched uranium for 15 years.

Additionally, Iran’s breakout timeline -- the time that it would take for Iran to acquire enough fissile material for one weapon -- is currently assessed to be two to three months. "That timeline will be extended to at least one year, for a duration of at least ten years, under this framework," the U.S. State Department document shared by Kerry added.

 Next steps

About the next steps to the framework agreement, Mogherini said: "We will now work to write the text of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, including its technical details in the coming weeks and months at the political and experts level. We are committed to complete our efforts by June 30th."

"This is a crucial decision," said Iran's Zarif. "Now we can start drafting our joint agreement that we have reached during these few days."

"Iran will participate in all the decisions regarding nuclear planning and we will cooperate regarding safety of all work done with nuclear issues."

Zarif also added that their research regarding enrichment of heavy water would continue "with agreement that the plutonium would not be used."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel hailed the breakthrough as "a significant step towards a final agreement." "We are now closer than ever to an agreement which would make it impossible for Iran to acquire nuclear weapons," she said in a written statement.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier described the agreement as a "big and decisive step forward."

"All of Iran’s nuclear activities will be under strictest surveillance of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for up to 25 years through various instruments," he said. "If Iran violates the agreed rules, sanctions will be put into force again immediately," said Steinmeier.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "This is well beyond what many of us thought possible even 18 months ago and a good basis for what I believe could be a very good deal. But there is still more work to do." 

P5+1 countries -- five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- the U.S., U.K., China, France, Russia, plus Germany -- claim Iran is developing nuclear weapons and want its program curbed in return for the lifting of sanctions.

The deal sought by the six-member group would have Iran accept limits on its uranium enrichment capacity and allow International Atomic Energy Agency inspections, without interference.

Tehran has been persisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.