WASHINGTON – Last week marked the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which rolls back the Iranian nuclear program and verifiably prevents Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. To reach Implementation Day last year, Iran had to ship out 25,000 pounds of its enriched uranium, dismantle two-thirds of its centrifuges, render its planned plutonium reactor inoperable, and agree to the most rigorous nuclear verification regime ever negotiated. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today announced that Iran had removed excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, in line with the JCPOA requirements.

In recognition of this anniversary and new milestone, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz released the following statement:

“On the one year anniversary of implementing the Iran nuclear deal, Iran successfully met the milestone of removing excess centrifuges and infrastructure from Fordow, demonstrating that the deal continues to limit Iran’s nuclear program so as to provide confidence that Iran is not developing a nuclear weapon and maintain at least a one year breakout time.

“The JCPOA is grounded in strong technical analysis provided by DOE scientists, including at our national laboratories, and supported by unprecedented IAEA verification measures.

“The JCPOA’s verification measures ensure that the Fordow materials and all others covered by the JCPOA will remain under IAEA monitoring.

“One year after Implementation Day, the Iran nuclear deal is working, increasing regional and global security.”