Ali Akbar Salehi

Iran could be in a position to create nuclear weapons within five days if the US ends a major agreement on uranium enrichment, the country's atomic programme head has warned, quoted by the Independent.co.uk. 

Ali Akbar Salehi, one of Iran's vice presidents, made the comments on state TV in apparent reaction to increased sanctions imposed by America this month.

Iran has begun shutting down uranium enrichment centrifuges under the terms of a deal struck with six world powers in July on limiting its nuclear programme, Tehran's atomic energy chief said on Nov. 2 during a visit to Tokyo.

Iran's parliament approved a historic nuclear deal with world powers on Oct. 13, effectively ending debate among lawmakers over the agreement and paving the way for its formal implementation.

President Hassan Rouhani defended a nuclear deal criticized by Iran's conservatives, arguing July 23 that the agreement reflected the nation's will and was "more valuable" than domestic carping about its details. 

Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, departed Tehran for Vienna with nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi and Hossein Fereydoon, a brother and close aide to President Hassan Rouhani, for nuclear talks, state news agency IRNA reported on June 30.

An Iranian journalist for a reformist news outlet who travelled to Lausanne to report on nuclear talks has applied for political asylum in Switzerland, the foreign ministry in Tehran said.
      
Amir Hossein Motaghi, who worked for the Iran Student Correspondents Association (ISCA), was sacked on March 24 after his bosses learned of his defection, a ministry statement said.

Marathon talks aimed at stopping Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons entered their final scheduled day March 31 with global powers racing to agree a framework deal by a midnight deadline.
      

Iran's nuclear chief said March 26 he was "optimistic" about reaching a ground-breaking nuclear deal, as US and Iranian diplomats launched down-to-the-wire talks chasing a March 31 deadline.
      

Iran and six world powers suspended negotiations on a historic nuclear deal and were set to convene again later next week to break a deadlock over sensitive atomic research and lifting of sanctions, Western officials said on March 20.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Iranian counterpart reported "progress" in talks on Tehran's contested nuclear programme but with still much left to achieve ahead of an March 31 deadline.