Iran’s negotiator rejects agreement over number of centrifuges

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A member of Iran’s nuclear negotiation team rejected an agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries over the number of Tehran’s centrifuges.

The unnamed source added that the sides have so far reached no agreement in this regard, Iran’s IRNA News Agency reported on Nov. 1.

Western media outlets reported in the past few days that the Obama administration has sweetened its offer to Iran in ongoing nuclear negotiations, saying it might accept Tehran operating 4,000 centrifuges, up from the previous 1,300. Iran currently has 9,400 operating centrifuges and another 10,000 that are installed but not in operation.

IRNA quoted the source as saying that Iran’s negotiation team will not give up on the nation’s nuclear rights.

The United States, France, Britain and Germany would like the number of enrichment centrifuges Iran maintains to be in the low thousands, while Tehran wants to keep tens of thousands in operation. It now has about 19,000 installed, of which about 10,000 are spinning to refine uranium, Reuters reported.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araqchi said on October 25 that Iran will not accept any sanction to remain in place in the final and comprehensive deal with the P5+1 group of countries.

“Iran will not shut down any nuclear facility,” he said, adding that the country will keep all of its nuclear capabilities, Iran’s Fars News Agency reported on October 25.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said on October 22 that 90 percent of the negotiations have been completed and the two sides are taking the final steps.

According to Afkham, the two sides are not interested in extending the 24-November deadline set for striking a final and comprehensive deal.

Iran and P5+1 (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council comprising of China, France, Russia, Britain, the US Plus Germany) sealed an interim deal in Geneva on November 24, 2013 to pave the way for the full resolution of the West’s decade-old dispute with Iran over the country’s nuclear energy program, Press TV reported.

The Geneva deal took effect on January 20 and expired on July 20. However the two sides agreed to extend their talks for four months till Nov. 24 to reach a permanent deal on Iran's disputed nuclear program.

In exchange for Iran agreeing to limit certain aspects of its nuclear activities, the US and its allies agreed to lift some of the existing sanctions against Tehran.

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