Tabnak – The head of International Atomic Energy Agency Yukiya Amano was in Tehran on Sunday to meet the high-ranking Iranian officials and discuss the latest developments regarding Iran’s nuclear program. During his meetings, the Iranian officials once again emphasized the importance of keeping the nuclear deal intact.
In his meeting with Amano, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani stressed the importance of maintaining the independence and impartiality of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), saying that Iran seeks to boost long-term cooperation with the agency.
"Our determination is to have long-term cooperation with the agency within the framework of international regulations,” Rouhani said in a meeting with the IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano in Tehran on Sunday.
"We hope that given Iran’s full cooperation in recent years, the agency would declare its final conclusion about the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program as soon as possible,” the Iranian president added.
Iran expects that the UN nuclear agency, in line with its measures and duties, would provide Tehran with the same technical assistance it gives other countries that are committed to the IAEA Safeguards Agreement and the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Rouhani said.
Amano also had a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. During the meeting, Zarif and Yukiya Amano called on all parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) to continue to honor their obligations under the agreement. The IAEA chief said that Iran has complied with its commitments under the JCPOA and that other sides should do the same.
Earlier in the day, Amano also sat down with Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi. He stressed in the meeting that "since January 2016, the IAEA has been monitoring and verifying the nuclear-related commitments by Iran under the JCPOA. The IAEA believes that the JCPOA is a significant gain for (nuclear) verification. The IAEA can state that nuclear-related commitments made by Iran under the JCPOA are being implemented.”
Since the historic deal was signed in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.
In a major confrontational stance against Iran on October 13, US President Donald Trump refused to certify the multilateral deal on Tehran’s peaceful nuclear program. Speaking from the White House, Trump said he will choose not to certify that Tehran is complying with the agreement.
Now, the US Congress should decide whether to re-impose economic sanctions on Tehran that were lifted under the nuclear agreement. The US has also demanded inspections of Iran’s military sites, which the Islamic Republic has vehemently rejected.
