Iran's Nuclear Programme Timeline: September 2019 – June 2020

Dominique G. Ankoné reports
September 3 2019
• President Rouhani addresses parliament in a session for a confidence vote to new ministers. He declares that the resistance of Iran against the sanctions "has worked". An implicit threat to Europeans countries was added: "If Europe fulfils an important part of its commitments, we may reconsider our commitments' reduction, or else, we will definitely take the third step". He added that Iran has "no decision for bilateral negotiations with the United State", but that if all sanctions were lifted, it can join the 5+1 negotiations like before.
• http://president.ir/en/111101

September 8 2019
• Acting IAEA director general Cornel Feruta, following the death of Director General Amano, visited Iran and discussed IAEA activities in Iran. He emphasized that the relations between IAEA and Iran "require full and timely cooperation". Informed about Iran's "announced activities related to its centrifuge research and development."
• https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/pressreleases/iaea-acting-director-general-holds-high-level-meetings-in-iran

September 9 2019
• IAEA says its been informed about "Iran's latest activities related to centrifuge research and development."
• https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/irans-full-and-timely-cooperation-is-essential-acting-director-general-tells-board

September 16 2019
• EU expresses its commitment at the 63rd General Conference of the IAEA to the JCPOA and declares concern about the expansion of Iran's centrifuge activities. Report that Iran has now exceeded the JCPOA stockpile limit for enriched uranium, and is enriching uranium above the maximum level of 3.67 %.
• https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/67389/eu-statement-occasion-63rd-general-conference-iaea_en

September 23 2019
• President Rouhani arrives in New York to attend the UN General Assembly, announces that Iran seeks peace in the Gulf region by ending all kind of interference in the region.
• http://www.president.ir/en/111407

September 26 2019
• President Rouhani says in light of the P4+1 pledge to execute JCPOA: "Europe has proposed many financial systems, but has proven to be incapable or unwilling to act." He added that if JCPOA countries "do not fulfill obligations, the reduction of the commitments will continue."
• Rouhani declared that they lifted limitations on nuclear research as part of the third step in reducing JCPOA commitments, but that they did so while informing the IAEA and while fully complying with the IAEA's monitoring activities.
• http://www.president.ir/en/111529

September 26 2019
• President Rouhani announced "that Iran is ready to pursue the immediate ratification of the Additional Protocol in the Iranian Parliament, as a permanent law, in exchange for the US Congress' approval of the JCPOA and permanent lift of all sanctions".
• http://www.president.ir/en/111501

September 27 2019
• Upon arrival in Teheran denounces the accusation of Iran seeking to dismantle the JCPOA.
• http://www.president.ir/en/111564

November 7
• IAEA detects "natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin" in Iran at a location unknown to the agency as a site of nuclear activity.

November 21 2019
• IAEA's Feruta repeats that they have found undeclared nuclear activity in Iran and adds that the agency has since "not received any additional information".
• https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/acting-director-general-urges-iran-to-fully-cooperate-with-iaea

December 3 2019
• Mariano Grossi appointed Director General of the IAEA to replace acting Director General Feruta.

December 6 2020
• Russia to suspend its work to change the Fordow facility into a facility serving medical purposes after the U.S. declared to revoke "a waiver shielding Moscow from U.S. sanctions against the Fordow project starting Dec. 15." Rosatom also attributed the decision to Iran's move earlier in November to restart the production of low-enriched uranium at the facility saying that it would be impossible to produce medical isotopes with some centrifuges, while others "in the same room" are enriching uranium.
• https://www.voanews.com/middle-east/voa-news-iran/russia-upsets-effort-save-2015-iran-nuclear-deal

January 3 2020
• The U.S. kill Iranian general Gen Qasem Soleimani with an airstrike on the Baghdad airport along with other "Iran-backed militia figures".
• Supreme leader of Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded by threatening that "severe revenge awaits the criminals" responsible for his death.
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50979463

January 8 2020
• Iran launches missiles at U.S. bases in Iraq as retaliation for the death of Soleimani.
• President Trump calls Iran 'the leading sponsor of terrorism', and claims that Iran has received 150 billion dollars following the JCPOA which they spend to fund their terroristic activities.
• https://www.politico.com/news/2020/01/08/trump-speech-on-iran-missile-attack-full-statement-and-transcript-096196 

January 9 2020
• Rouhani calls British PM Boris Johnson about "Martyrdom" of General Soleimani.
• http://www.president.ir/en/113247

January 14 2020
• Foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom write to High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Joseph Borrell on the implementation of Iran's commitments under the JCPOA, triggering the Dispute Resolution Mechanism.
• https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/73436/statement-high-representative-josep-borrell-following-consultations-jcpoa-participants_en

January 15 2020
• Addressing the 59th Session of the General Assembly of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) President Rouhani remarks that: "Today, we are enriching more than what we did before the JCPOA. Things are not easy, but we realise that the world of politics, security and economics are closely intertwined".
• He also claimed the creation of 500,000 jobs on average every year in spite of U.S. sanctions.
• http://www.president.ir/en/113398

January 27 2020
• Rouhani tells the Convention of Governor-Generals and Governors across the country in light of the approaching legislative elections (Majlis) "The assassination of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by some global terrorists like the White House, Zionism and some reactionaries in the Arab region was due to the fact that Iran has begun moving towards economic growth."
• http://www.president.ir/en/113550

February 26 2020
• A meeting of JCPOA in Vienna including representatives of China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and Iran discuss the reducing of nuclear commitments by Iran was discussed as well concerns about U.S. re-imposition of new sanctions, against the backdrop of an emerging COVID-19 pandemic.
• https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage_en/75190/JCPOA:%20Chair's%20Statement%20following%20the%20meeting%20of%20the%20Joint%20Commission

March 9 2020
• Director General Mariano Grossi calls on Iran to "cooperate immediately and fully" with the IAEA, and demands to be provided access promptly to the locations Iran has refused the agency entry to. The agency had attempted to be admitted to two of three undeclared locations but was refused access. Grossi expresses his concern that the non-compliance of Iran is "adversely affecting the Agency's ability to clarify and resolve these questions and to provide credible assurance of the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran."
• https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-director-general-calls-on-iran-to-cooperate-immediately-and-fully

March 14 2020
• Sanctions on Iran, in accorance with Security Council resolution 2231, have in practice been upheld by all countries and companies including the ones officially still part of JCPOA and have cost Iran about 200 billion dollars, according to the Iran government.
• http://www.president.ir/en/114213

March 20 2020
• President Rouhani states that sanctins have undermined the Iranian healthcare system and by doing so Iran's ability to adequately fight the corona virus.
• http://www.president.ir/en/114343

April 27 2020
• Rouhani calls with president of the people's republic of China Xi Jinping and thanks him for China's aid to help Iran fighting the corona virus in spite of U.S. sanctions.
• http://www.president.ir/en/114975

May 6 2020
• Speaking at a meeting of the council of ministers Rouhani declares that Iran has withdrawn from its JCPOA commitments "in an equal scale" compared to the U.S. and the extent that P4+1 has stood back as well.
• He continues with his expectation that the weapon embargo on Iran will soon be lifted in the coming months "under the same U.N. Security Council resolution 2231."
• http://president.ir/en/115157

May 30 2020
• Joint statement issued by spokespersons of the High Representative of the EU and the Foreign Ministries of France, Germany and the United Kingdom : "We deeply regret the US decision to end the three waivers covering key JCPOA nuclear projects in Iran, including the Arak Modernisation Project." Investigations have commenced on the effect of the U.S. decision.
• https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-kingdom/80128/jcpoa-joint-statement-spokespersons-high-representative-eu-and-foreign-ministries-france_en

June 4 2020
• Chief of Foreign Policy of the EU, Joseph Borrell, announces to have received a letter from Iran "citing concerns over the implementation of the deal" by France, Germany and the United Kingdom. In the letter a dispute resolution mechanism is triggered, which entails "at least two 15 days mediation periods", with almost infinite extension possibilities, "provided there is unanimous agreement between Iran and the remaining guarantors of the deal".
• https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/04/eu-says-iran-has-triggered-nuclear-deal-dispute-mechanism-348680

June 19 2020
• Board of governors of the IAEA adopts a resolution "calling on the Islamic Republic of Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA in implementing its NPT Safeguard Agreement and Additional Protocol..." The resolution stressed the need for states to comply "fully with their safeguards obligations and facilitating access as required when notified by the IAEA." The resolution was submitted by France, Germany and the United Kingdom and accepted by a comfortable majority.
• https://www.iaea.org/newscenter/news/iaea-board-calls-on-iran-to-fully-implement-its-safeguards-obligations

Dominique G. Ankoné is a Graduate student Global History, Vrije Universiteit van Amsterdam
Research Assistant for U.K. Defence Forum