Iranian Nuclear Site Construction Sparks Debate Over Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action

This Oct. 21 satellite photo, provided by Maxar Technologies, shows construction at Iran’s Natanz uranium-enrichment facility that experts believe may be a new, underground centrifuge assembly plant. Source.

As of late October, Iran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility, the location of Iran’s primary nuclear enrichment facility, raising concerns among the international community and reigniting the conversation about the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement (the JCPOA), also referred to as the Iran Nuclear Deal, established in 2015.

On October 26th, the San Francisco company Planet Labs Inc captured satellite images of construction equipment at the Natanz site, while another company, Maxar Technologies, captured a similar image on October 21st. Rafael Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nation’s watchdog for nuclear activity, confirmed the construction in an interview to AP News.

According to Grossi, Iran has begun construction on an underground centrifuge assembly plant to replace another that exploded over the summer, an incident that Iran attributes to a “sabotage attack.” Grossi adds that Iran has begun to accumulate low-enriched uranium, but does not appear to be enough to produce any kind of weapon. 

This development puts another possible nail in the coffin for the JCPOA agreement, as the United States government and the Iranian government have withdrawn from and violated the agreement respectively. The initial agreement secured the lessening of Iran’s acquisition of uranium in exchange for the lessening of sanctions imposed by the United States. The agreement was signed in 2015, but President Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018, reinstating punitive sanctions on Iran and raising international concerns of a world made less safe by Trump’s decision. 

Iran responded by reducing its agreement to several aspects of the deal, and has continued to increase its uranium enrichment throughout 2020, although it continues to cooperate with inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The other countries in the JCPOA have expressed their desire for the maintenance of the deal, yet this new development could potentially weather away at the JCPOA’s already shaky foundation since the withdrawal of the US and the reinstatement of sanctions, removing Iran’s initial incentive for the agreement.

Although Iran continues to insist that it has no interest in producing a functional weapon, they continue to take steps that would make such an objective possible, although Grossi emphasizes that increasing their stock of uranium does not necessarily mean such a goal is on the horizon, stating “The fact that there could be such an amount (in reference to the amount of uranium possessed by the Iranians) would not indicate automatically that a nuclear weapon is being fabricated.”

Iran has continued to insist that their actions regarding their nuclear program have been completely transparent and in line with the 2015 agreement, with Alireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian representatives to the United Nations, stating, “Nothing in Iran regarding its peaceful nuclear program is being done in secret, in full keeping with the JCPOA, and as the IAEA has repeatedly confirmed...This instance is no different.” 

In addition, Iranian representatives have expressed that the JCPOA, while struggling since the US withdrawal, was worth maintaining, with the head of Iran’s nuclear program, Ali Akbar Salehi stating “There is still a broad agreement among the international community that the JCPOA should be preserved,” and emphasizing the importance of resolving “the difficulties caused by the illegal withdrawal of the U.S. from the deal” at a conference back in September. 

With the withdrawal of the US from the JCPOA and construction commencing at the Natanz nuclear facility, the necessity of further discussions between the remaining signatories of the JCPOA is brought to the forefront of the international consciousness. All remaining parties, including the Iranians, have expressed their desire to maintain the agreement and willingness to cooperate, so with the mutual effort of those involved, the possibility of future talks to solidify the future of the JCPOA without the United States could stabilize the current uncertainty around the agreement and the status of the Iranian nuclear program