Iran Says It Has Started Decommissioning Centrifuges

Iran says it has begun to shut down uranium-enrichment centrifuges in order to fulfill a landmark nuclear deal signed with six world powers.

Under the July accord, sanctions against Iran will be gradually lifted in return for Tehran imposing curbs on nuclear activities.

"We have already started to take our measures vis-a-vis the removal of the centrifuge machines -- the extra centrifuge machines,” Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi was quoted as saying on November 2 during a visit to Tokyo. “We hope in two months’ time we are able to exhaust our commitment."

Meanwhile, some 20 hard-line conservative members of parliament have written to President Hassan Rohani to complain that work to dismantle centrifuges in two enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordow is progressing too quickly.

The lawmakers said that beginning implementation the deal so soon was against the directives of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who conditionally approved the accord last month.

Based on reporting by Reuters and the BBC