'Today we welcome the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA)'s report verifying that Iran has completed the nuclear-related steps specified in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). As the result of these steps, Iran's pathways to a nuclear weapon have been cut off and the international community is more secure. Reversing what had been a steadily expanding program, the JCPOA pushes the amount of time Iran would need to produce enough weapons grade uranium for one nuclear weapon from two or three months to at least one year, with Iran removing two-thirds of its centrifuges and reducing its stockpile of enriched uranium by 98 percent. Its nuclear facilities will be under constant and rigorous monitoring, and international inspectors will be able to go anywhere in Iran where they suspect covert nuclear activities may be occurring. In return, the United States has followed through on its Implementation Day commitment to lift nuclear-related sanctions, as specified in the JCPOA.
'Reaching this critical milestone demonstrates the powerful role that coordinated economic sanctions can play in bringing about positive change. These sanctions - implemented by the United States, the European Union, and the United Nations, alongside many partners - led Iran to negotiate a deal that today ensures Iran's nuclear program is and remains exclusively peaceful.
'As we have said all along, while the JCPOA addresses the nuclear issues, it does not resolve other areas where Iran's behavior remains unacceptable. We will continue to target sanctionable activities outside of the JCPOA - including those related to Iran's support for terrorism, regional destabilization, human rights abuses, and ballistic missile development. It is also important to note that, other than certain limited exceptions provided for in the JCPOA, the U.S. embargo broadly remains in place, meaning that U.S. persons, including U.S. banks, will still be prohibited from virtually all dealings with Iranian entities.
'We will continue to work closely with Congress, the IAEA, our international partners, and Iran to ensure that JCPOA commitments are upheld and fully implemented.'
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U.S. Department of the Treasury issued this content on 2016-01-16 and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 2016-01-17 00:20:05 UTC
Original Document: https://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/jl0321.aspx