Report to Congress on Iran Nuclear Programs

Several U.N. Security Council resolutions adopted between 2006 and 2010 required Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA’s) investigation of its nuclear activities, suspend its uranium enrichment program, suspend its construction of a heavy-water reactor and related projects, and ratify the Additional Protocol to its IAEA safeguards agreement. Iran did not comply with most of the resolutions’ provisions. However, Tehran has implemented various restrictions on, and provided the IAEA with additional information about, the government’s nuclear program pursuant to the July 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), On the JCPOA’s Implementation Day, which took place on January 16, 2016, all of the previous resolutions’ requirements were terminated. The nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) and U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, which the Council adopted on July 20, 2015, compose the current legal framework governing Iran’s nuclear program. The United States attempted in 2020 to reimpose sanctions on Iran via a mechanism provided for in Resolution 2231. However, the Security Council did not do so.

Iran and the IAEA agreed in August 2007 on a work plan to clarify outstanding questions regarding Tehran’s nuclear program. The IAEA had essentially resolved most of these issues, but for several years the agency still had questions concerning “possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme.” IAEA Board of Governors resolutions adopted in June 2020, and June and November 2022 call on Iran to satisfy more recent agency requests concerning possible undeclared nuclear activities in Iran. But these resolutions do not contain a formal finding of noncompliance.

This report provides a brief overview of Iran’s nuclear program and describes the legal basis for the actions taken by the IAEA board and the Security Council. It will be updated as events warrant.

So, the agency only has questions concerning “possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme. Oh, I would definitely trust the UN Security Council with this issue. Here are couple things from the report.

A 2005 State Department report regarding states’ compliance with arms control and nonproliferation agreements argued that Iran had violated Article II of the NPT: The breadth of Iran’s nuclear development efforts, the secrecy and deceptions with which they have been conducted for nearly 20 years, its redundant and surreptitious procurement channels, Iran’s persistent failure to comply with its obligations to report to the IAEA and to apply safeguards to such activities, and the lack of a reasonable economic justification for this program leads us to conclude that Iran is pursuing an effort to manufacture nuclear weapons, and has sought and received assistance in this effort in violation of Article II of the NPT.

Iran’s Nuclear Program: Tehran’s Compliance with International Obligations Congressional Research Service 24 Appendix A. Iranian Adherence to JCPOA Nuclear Program Restrictions140 Iran’s number of installed centrifuges, low-enriched uranium (LEU) stockpile, LEU uranium-235 (u-235) concentration, and enrichment locations exceed JCPOA-mandated limits. Tehran is also conducting JCPOA-prohibited research and development (R&D), as well as centrifuge installation. In addition, Iran has produced uranium metal in violation of the JCPOA. Operating Centrifuges Under the JCPOA, Iran is to use only its commercial-scale facility at Natanz for enriching uranium. Tehran is to use no more than 5,060 IR-1 centrifuges for this purpose. Iran has retained these centrifuges and installed additional IR-1 centrifuges. Tehran has also installed JCPOA- prohibited IR-2m, IR-4, and IR-6 centrifuges in the facility and is using all three types of centrifuges for enriching uranium. In addition, Iran is using IR-2m, IR-4, IR-5, IR-6, and IR-6s centrifuges to produce enriched uranium at Tehran’s pilot enrichment facility. Iran is also enriching uranium using IR-1 and IR-6 centrifuges in Iran’s Fordow enrichment facility.

Heavy Water As noted, Iran’s stock of heavy water exceeded the JCPOA-required limit of 130 metric tons on two occasions since the P5+1 began implementing the agreement. Beginning in November 2019, IAEA reports have noted that Iran has on several additional occasions exceeded this limit. Since February 23, 2021, Iran has neither informed the IAEA about its heavy water inventory “nor allowed the Agency to monitor the quantities of Iran’s heavy water stocks and the amount of heavy water produced.”

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