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Iran nuclear deal to enter into force early January: deputy FM by Staff Writers Vienna (AFP) Nov 24, 2015 Iran expects July's landmark nuclear deal with major powers to enter into force in early January, when Tehran will have implemented its commitments, Iran's deputy foreign minister said Tuesday. "We expect it will be in early January," Abbas Araghchi told reporters in Vienna after meeting the head of the UN atomic watchdog, which is tasked with verifying the accord. Under the July 14 deal with six powers that ended a potentially dangerous decade-long standoff, Iran undertook to dramatically scale back its nuclear programme. This includes reducing by two-thirds the number of centrifuges which purify or "enrich" uranium, making it suitable for nuclear power generation but also for a nuclear bomb. In addition Iran agreed to reduce its stockpile of uranium and modify a new reactor it is building at Arak. In exchange, the six world powers -- the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany -- will lift painful sanctions. An IAEA report last week showed that Tehran still has a way to go to fulfil its commitments under the nuclear deal. The report said that Iran has so far removed around 4,500 centrifuges, meaning that it still has to take close down another 10,000. The report also showed that so far, no changes have taken place at Arak and Iran's stock of enriched uranium has even grown slightly. Under the July deal Iran has to reduce this stock by some eight tonnes. Araghchi said that talks with Russia on buying this material in exchange for raw uranium have been completed. "Discussions have already been concluded between Iran and Russia and the deal (should take place) soon," he said. He added though that the uranium would only go to Russia once the UN watchdog has completed its probe into the so-called "possible military dimensions" (PMD) of Iran's nuclear programme and once this has been approved by the watchdog's board. This probe concerns allegations, rejected by Iran, that at least until 2003 Tehran conducted research into making nuclear weapons. Tehran has always denied pursuing a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency is expected to release a final report on its investigation next week, diplomats say, ahead of a December 15 meeting of the IAEA board. "As you know the shipment of our stockpile of enriched uranium out of Iran can only be done after the closure of PMD by the board," Araghchi said. He added that he had held "wrap up" talks on Tuesday with the IAEA on the probe and that it was headed "in a good direction."
N. Korea slams South's live-fire drill A spokesman for the North's powerful National Defence Commission (NDC) described the exercise conducted Monday as the "most vicious military provocation aimed at confrontation" and "reckless sabre-rattling", according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. Despite the North's warning of possible "merciless" retaliation, Seoul conducted the drill around front-line islands in the Yellow Sea to mark the anniversary of North Korea's deadly shelling of one of the islands five years ago, the South's defence ministry said. However, the NDC spokesman added "the South Korean authorities clearly showed again that their hostile and confrontation 'policy towards the North' still remains unchanged", KCNA reported. "It is as clear as noonday what results such (a) confrontation racket they staged when various pending issues between the north and the south are ... on the agenda, will bring about. We will follow the South Korean authorities' attitude". Seoul has vowed to hit back immediately if North Korea launches any provocations. "I want our military to build up a perfect combat-readiness posture so they can deal with any kind of threat or provocation without hesitation," President Park Geun-Hye said in a video message at a ceremony marking the anniversary on Monday. The two Koreas will on Thursday hold rare talks aimed at setting up a high-level dialogue that might provide the foundation for a sustainable improvement in relations. The talks at the border truce village of Panmunjom will be the first inter-governmental interaction since officials met there in August to defuse a crisis that had pushed both sides to the brink of armed conflict. Five years ago, in response to a South live-fire drill near the countries' tense sea border, the North bombarded Yeonpyeong island on November 23, 2010, killing four South Koreans -- two soldiers and two civilians -- and prompting the South to return the fire. The exchange of fire lasted more than an hour, with the two sides trading more than 200 shells and sparking brief fears of a full-fledged war. Casualties on the North's side remain unknown.
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