Nuclear Deal Ends Sanctions Against Iran
The most powerful nations of the world, including Russia and China have reached an agreement with Iran that will stop the country's nuclear weapons program and end sanctions against the Islamic nation.
A short time ago inspectors of the International Atomic Energy Agency said that Iran has met the world community's demands to restrict the development of nuclear weapons. In return, economic sanctions, which have been in place for many years, will be lifted. Iran also agreed to release four Americans held in Iran, including a Washington Post correspondent.
The nuclear deal will stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon that may endanger the whole Middle East . However, it can use nuclear power to produce energy.
According to the deal Iran must
- reduce the amount of uranium that the country has
- stop enriching uranium, which is needed to make bombs
- use the centrifuges for peaceful purposes
Inspectors from the IAEA will constantly watch and monitor developments in Iran. According to the agreement they can enter nuclear sites at any time.
Sanctions against Iran have been in place for several years. Western country's did not buy Iranian oil, so that the country lost hundreds of millions of dollars in income. In addition, Iran has over 30 billion dollars in frozen foreign assets, which are now available again.
During the past years Iran's economy has been suffering strongly. Unemployment rates and inflation have been very high. In order to boost the economy the country needs billions of dollars in foreign investment .
The nuclear deal with Iran has brought mixed reactions around the world. Iranian president Rouhani has welcomed the deal, stating that it will open up a new age of relations with western countries. However, many western nations, including Israel, are sceptical that Iran will keep up to its end of the deal. According to the west, Iran already had enough enriched uranium to build several bombs.
Shortly after the nuclear deal was reached, the United States imposed fresh sanctions on Iran because the country was building ballistic missiles.
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Words
- according to ... = as said by ....
- agree = to say yes
- agreement = when two or more people or countries promise to do something
- available = to be used
- ballistic missile = powerful weapon that can travel very long distances ; it can fly very high into the sky and explodes when it comes back to earth
- billion = a thousand million
- boost = improve; make better
- centrifuge = here: machine used to produce nuclear energy
- community = all the people and countries in the world
- constantly = all the time
- deal = agreement
- demand = here: what they have ordered Iran to do
- development =
- work on a new product
- what is happening at the moment
- economy = the system by which a country's money and goods are produced
- endanger = threaten, put in danger
- enrich = to improve the quality ; here; to increase the number of atoms so you can produce more power
- foreign investment = money from other countries that is needed to build factories, help businesses etc...
- fresh = new
- frozen foreign assets = here: money, land, buildings and other valuable things that Iran has in other countries but has not been able to use because of the sanctions
- however = but
- impose = put into effect
- in addition = also
- including = also
- income = the money you get for selling products
- inflation = when prices go up all the time
- inspector = person who carefully watches something, and sees that it is done the right way
- in place = exist
- in return = as a reward; what you get for agreeing to something
- International Atomic Energy Agency = organisation that controls the world's use of atomic energy;
- keep up = meet , follow the rules
- lift = stop, end
- monitor = watch carefully
- nuclear power = energy made by splitting atoms
- nuclear weapon = powerful bomb that uses nuclear energy to kill many people and destroy large areas
- peaceful purposes = not for war or to make weapons
- reach = make, get to
- reduce = lower
- relation = official connections between two countries
- release = let free
- restrict = limit, control
- sanction = laws that stop a country from buying from and selling products to other countries
- sceptical = not sure about something
- site = place where something is built
- state = to say officially
- suffer = here: to be in a bad condition
- unemployment rate = the number of people who do not have any work
- welcome = here: to say that something is good