What We Know About the Comprehensive Nuclear Agreement

As the official announcement of the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and the 5+1 group is just hours away, details of this agreement are being reported line by line in the headlines of news agencies and websites. In the latest point mentioned by Reuters, citing the text of this agreement, the two sides of the nuclear negotiations have agreed that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will have access to Iran's 'suspected nuclear sites' 'within 24 days.' Reuters states that the full text of the comprehensive nuclear agreement has been published on the Russian Foreign Ministry's website. It also notes that what ultimately led these negotiations to success is nothing but what the 'Iranians call Zarif's diplomacy of smiles.' However, the report mentions that this 'diplomacy of smiles' by Zarif could not have succeeded without the support of Hassan Rouhani and Ali Khamenei. But what is the outcome of the Islamic Republic's foreign minister's 'diplomacy of smiles' for both sides? The full text of the comprehensive nuclear agreement has not yet been fully reviewed, and details will continue to emerge in the coming days. So far, only a few points of this agreement have been made public. Among these is that, according to diplomats who have spoken with news agencies including Reuters, the UN arms embargo against Iran is set to remain in place for another five years, and missile sanctions against Iran will last for eight more years. Diplomats have also told the news agency that, according to this comprehensive nuclear agreement plan, if the Islamic Republic violates its commitments, sanctions will 'automatically' revert to their previous state within 65 days. However, reports indicate that the comprehensive nuclear agreement, according to the American newspaper The New York Times, 'leaves most of the infrastructure of Iran's main nuclear sites intact, although a large portion of its components is set to be dismantled and stored.' According to this newspaper, some of the restrictions imposed on Iran's nuclear program in past years are set to be lifted after 10 years, and Iran will be free to produce as much enriched uranium as it wants after 15 years. Restrictions on scientific nuclear research in Iran will also remain for eight years. Meanwhile, just hours before the official announcement of the comprehensive nuclear agreement on Tuesday morning, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced that an agreement had been reached with Iran to resolve all issues between the agency and Iran by the end of 2015. Based on the draft of the final agreement, the 1+5 group and Tehran have agreed to allow Iran access to trade, technologies, and financial and energy resources. The Interfax news agency also reported that Iran is set to upgrade the Arak nuclear facility for peaceful uses, and the IAEA will oversee this upgrade process. In return, Reuters cites Iranian officials saying that under the comprehensive nuclear agreement, sanctions against Iran's Central Bank, the National Iranian Oil Company, shipping lines, Iran Air, and many other entities and individuals are set to be lifted. In this context, the Shargh newspaper also tweeted that the comprehensive nuclear agreement will remove about 800 individuals and entities from the current Western sanctions against the Islamic Republic. Reuters also reported that under this agreement, Iran will reduce its 19,000 centrifuges to 6,104 centrifuges. Iran has accepted this limitation for 10 years.