海角大神

Key restrictions on聽Iran's聽nuclear聽program imposed under an internationally negotiated聽deal聽will start to ease years before the 15-year accord expires, advancing Tehran's ability to build a bomb even before the end of the pact, according to a document obtained Monday by The Associated Press.

The confidential document is the only text linked to last year's聽deal聽between聽Iran聽and six foreign powers that hasn't been made public, although U.S. officials say members of Congress who expressed interest were briefed on its substance. It was given to the AP by a diplomat whose work has focused on聽Iran's聽nuclear聽program for more than a decade, and its authenticity was confirmed by another diplomat who possesses the same document.

Both demanded anonymity because they were not authorized to share or discuss the document.

The diplomat who shared the text with the AP described it as an add-on agreement to the聽nuclear聽dealin the form of a document submitted by聽Iran聽to the International Atomic Energy Agency outlining its plans to expand its uranium enrichment program after the first 10 years of the聽nuclear聽deal.

But while formally separate from the bigger聽nuclear聽accord, he said that it was in effect an integral part of that pact and had been approved by the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, the six powers that negotiated the聽deal聽with Tehran.

Details published earlier outline most restraints on聽Iran's聽nuclear聽program meant to reduce the threat that Tehran will turn聽nuclear聽activities it says are peaceful to making weapons.

But although some of the constraints extend for 15 years, documents in the public domain are short on details of what happens with聽Iran's聽most proliferation-prone聽nuclear聽activity 鈥� its uranium enrichment 鈥� beyond the first 10 years of the agreement.

The document obtained by the AP fills in the gap. It says that as of January 2027 鈥� 11 years after thedeal聽was implemented 鈥斅營ran聽will start replacing its mainstay centrifuges with thousands of advanced machines.

Centrifuges churn out uranium to levels that can range from use as reactor fuel and for medical and research purposes to much higher levels for the core of a聽nuclear聽warhead. From year 11 to 13, says the document,聽Iran聽will install centrifuges up to five times as efficient as the 5,060 machines it is now restricted to using.

Those new models will number less than those being used now, ranging between 2,500 and 3,500, depending on their efficiency, according to the document. But because they are more effective, they will allow聽Iran聽to enrich at more than twice the rate it is doing now.

Components other than centrifuge numbers and efficiency also go into the mix of how quickly a nation can make a聽nuclear聽weapon. They include how much enriched uranium it has to work with, and restrictions on聽Iran's聽stockpile extend until the end of the聽deal, crimping its full enrichment program.

But a comparison of outputs between the old and newer machines shows the newer ones work at double the enrichment rate. That means they would reduce the time聽Iran聽could make enough weapons grade uranium to six months or less from present estimates of one year.

And that time frame could shrink even more. While the document doesn't say what happens with centrifuge numbers and types past year 13, U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz told The AP that聽Iran will be free to install any number of advanced centrifuges beyond that point, even though the nuclear聽deal聽extends two additional years.

That will give聽Iran聽a huge potential boost in enrichment capacity, including bomb making should it choose to do so. But it can be put to use only after the聽deal聽expires.

Moniz noted that the limit on the amount of low-enriched enriched uranium聽Iran聽will be allowed to store will remain at 300 kilograms (660 pounds) for the full 15 years, significantly below the amount needed for further enrichment into a bomb. As well, the stockpile will remain restricted to a level used for reactor fuel that is well below weapons grade.

These restrictions translate into "serious constraints on ... (Iran's)聽nuclear聽program for 15 years," Moniz said.

In selling the聽deal聽to skeptics, the U.S. administration said it is tailored to ensure that聽Iran聽would need at least 12 months to "break out" and make enough weapons grade uranium for at least one weapon. Moniz said the document obtained by the AP posed no contradiction to that claim because "we made it very clear that we were focused on 10 years on the minimum one-year breakout time."

The document also notes that聽Iran聽will greatly expand its work with centrifuges that are even more advanced, including large-scale testing in preparation for the聽deal's聽expiry 15 years after its implementation on Jan. 18.

But State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that "the prohibition on聽Iran's聽pursuit of a聽nuclearweapon 鈥� and our ability to monitor the peaceful nature of its聽nuclear聽program 鈥� remains in effect indefinitely.

"The breakout time does not go off a cliff nor do we believe that it would be cut in half, to six months, by year 11," he said.

Iran聽insists it is not interested in聽nuclear聽weapons, and the pact is being closely monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA says Tehran has essentially kept to its commitments since the agreement was implemented, a little more than six months after聽Iran聽and the six powers finalized it on July 14, 2015.

Marking the agreement's anniversary Thursday, President Barack Obama said it has succeeded in rolling back聽Iran's聽nuclear聽program, "avoiding further conflict and making us safer." But opposition from U.S. Republicans could increase with the revelation that聽Iran's聽potential breakout time would be more than halved over the last few years of the pact.

In the U.S., one year after the deal, "there are few signs that a year of implementation聽has swayed either opponents or supporters to think differently," as 海角大神 reported last week:

This week, a group of 75 national security leaders released a letter to Obama extolling the deal鈥檚 accomplishments and called for using the landmark opening to expand engagement with Iran. Many of the prominent signers were supporters from the outset.

At the same time, dozens of pieces of legislation in Congress suggest unwavering opposition.

鈥淭here are 35 pieces of Iran-related legislation in Congress right now 鈥� that鈥檚 an enormous pushback,鈥� says Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington and a critic of the deal. 鈥淭he opposition is as intense and as focused as it was last summer.鈥�

Also opposed is Israel, which in the past has threatened to strike聽Iran聽if it deems that Tehran is close to making a聽nuclear聽weapon. Alluding to that possibility, David Albright, whose Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security is a U.S. government go-to resource on聽Iran's聽nuclearprogram, said the plan outlined in the document "will create a great聽deal聽of instability and possibly even lead to war, if regional tensions have not subsided."

The bigger聽nuclear聽deal聽provides聽Iran聽with sanctions relief in exchange for its聽nuclear聽constraints. But before going into recess, the U.S. Congress last week approved a bill to impose new sanctions for Tehran's continuing development and testing of ballistic missiles, a program the White House says is meant to carry atomic warheads even if it is not part of the聽nuclear聽agreement.

It also approved a measure that calls for prohibiting the Obama administration from buying more ofIran's聽heavy water, a key component in certain聽nuclear聽reactors.

The White House has said removing the country's surplus heavy water denies Tehran access to a material that may be stored for potential聽nuclear聽weapons production. But critics note that the purchase was made only after聽Iran聽exceeded heavy water limits proscribed by the聽nuclear聽deal聽and assert it rewarded Tehran for violating the agreement.

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee contributed from Washington.