Iran, the United States and five other world powers*have reached a landmark agreement
*about the future of Iran's nuclear programs.
The agreement that emerged after years of diplomacy and a final, marathon negotiating session by top diplomats over the past three weeks in Vienna is complex and highly technical.
We've been studying the*150-page-plus agreement
, and we've pulled out six tidbits that will help you understand the deal:
1. It Would Curb Iran's Nuclear Programs:*As President Obama put it in a speech to the nation, the highlight of this deal is that it aims to stop Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. In practical terms, it puts limits on many of Iran's nuclear programs. For example:
— Iran has agreed to turn its Fordow facility into a research center where Iranian and world scientists will work side by side. Fordow, if you remember, has been at the center of international worry, because for years, experts have believed that Iran was enriching uranium in centrifuges there.
Another worry: The facility is located underground, which would make it less vulnerable to a military strike.
— Under the deal, Iran has also agreed to rebuild its Arak heavy-water reactor, which is currently the only site in Iran capable of starting production on weapons-grade plutonium. Under the deal, the site would be rebuilt using a design approved by the international community. The design's point would be to make the production of weapons-grade plutonium impossible.
— The agreement also calls for Iran to give up most of its centrifuges. Under the deal, Iran would go from having 20,000 centrifuges, which are used to enrich uranium, to having 6,104 for the next 10 years. Under the deal, Iran also agrees to give up its most advanced centrifuges and use only their oldest models.