TEHRAN, Feb. 02 (MNA) – Chairman of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Mojtaba Zonnour announced on Sunday that a delegation of MPs will commence a new round of their visits to nuclear facilities in late February, following the Parliament's elections.

The visits are meant to get informed of the procedures of reducing Iran's JCPOA commitments, he said.

According to him, the MPs will pay visits to nuclear sites in Natanz, Fordow, Arak and Bushehr and will prepare a report to be submitted to the Parliament's presiding board. 

"The US  supposed that by lack of its commitment to and unilateral withdrawal from Iran nuclear deal, it can impede our nuclear program but we are moving forward in this sector," Zonnour said. 

On November 18, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported said that Iran has accumulated more than 130 tons of heavy water in continuation of its cuts to JCPOA commitments.

“On 16 November 2019, Iran informed the Agency that its stock of heavy water had exceeded 130 metric tons,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report to member states, Reuters reported.

“On 17 November 2019, the Agency verified that the Heavy Water Production Plant (HWPP) was in operation and that Iran’s stock of heavy water was 131.5 metric tonnes,” the report added.

Iran took the fourth step back from its commitments to the nuclear deal earlier this month at the end of a 60-day ultimatum to remaining parties to the nuclear deal to live up to their own commitments to the JCPOA ended while they did not take any practical steps to meet Iran’s demands.

Iran demands European countries make up for its losses after the US withdrawal from the accord and help Iran with its oil sales and banking relations.

Tehran says its countermeasures are in accordance with the paragraphs 26 and 36 of the nuclear deal, and that it will reverse the steps once its demands are met.

As a first step, Iran increased its enriched uranium stockpile to a level above the 300 kilograms set by the JCPOA.

In the second step, Tehran began enriching uranium to purity rates beyond the JCPOA-limit of 3.76 percent.

Furthermore, Tehran lifted all restrictions on nuclear research and development and announced it would use advanced centrifuges as its third step.

In the 4th step, the Iranian nuclear agency resumed uranium enrichment to 4.5% at Fordow nuclear facility by injecting gas into advanced IR6 centrifuges, while Iran had agreed in the JCPOA not to conduct enrichment in the underground facility.

Each time Iran gives a 60-day deadline to the other parties before taking its next step.

MNA/Tasnim2194221