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Iran pours concrete into nuclear reactor, expects sanctions relief

 
Published Jan. 12, 2016

Iran removed the core of its plutonium reactor and filled it with cement on Monday, paving the way for economic and financial sanctions to be lifted soon.

The work that effectively rendered the reactor at Arak harmless was the last major hurdle for Iran to fulfill its commitments under a landmark deal reached just shy of six months ago in Vienna. The International Atomic Energy Agency must verify that everything was done satisfactorily before U.S. and international sanctions can be lifted. But that is expected to take days, not weeks.

"In a few days, we will see the end of the cruel sanctions against Iran," President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech in southern Iran. "When sanctions end, I will explain to people how great of an accomplishment this is."

The lifting of sanctions will unlock Iran's access to about $100 billion in its own assets that has been frozen in foreign banks. The United States and the United Nations both have prepared the legal steps necessary for sanctions relief to take effect.

The desire to get the money, which Iran needs to rebuild creaky infrastructure and pay off debts, has propelled Tehran to move speedily in fulfilling the promises it made in Geneva in July. Just two weeks ago, it shipped out most of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium. It has dismantled thousands of uranium-enriching centrifuges. Dismantling the Arak reactor, which would have produced enough plutonium to make two nuclear weapons a year, was the last major chore.