Tabnak – Although during the recent months the US administration has tried to increase the pressures on Iran with the excuse of Tehran’s non-compliance to the nuclear deal, the International Atomic Energy Agency once again declared that Iran has so far fulfilled its commitments according to the deal.
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday once again confirmed Iran’s commitment to the terms of the 2015 nuclear agreement with six world powers, saying it has access to all sites it needs to inspect.
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano made the remarks in an introductory statement to a meeting of the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in the Austrian capital.
Amano said the IAEA "continues to verify and monitor Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA,” using the acronym for the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action as the deal is officially called.
"As my report on Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 shows, the Agency continues to verify and monitor Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA. The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran are being implemented,” he said.
"The Agency continues to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement,” he added. "Evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran continue,” the IAEA director general said.
Amano reiterated that on October 29 he visited Tehran "for talks with President Rouhani and other government leaders". "I stressed the importance of full implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. I also encouraged Iran to ratify the Additional Protocol to its Safeguards Agreement, which it is provisionally applying at present," the IAEA director general said.
Amano’s report comes at a time that in contrast to the US, the European countries are showing signs of willingness to cooperate with Iran in the field of peaceful nuclear energy. In this vein, the Second EU-Iran High-Level Seminar on International Nuclear Cooperation: Progress and Prospects came to an end in Isfahan, central Iran, issuing a final statement on Wednesday.
The two-day seminar was held on November 21-22; the prominent participants of the event included Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Abbas Araghchi, Deputy for International, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs of the AEOI Behrouz Kamalvandi, Secretary General of the European External Action Service Helga Schmid, Director General of DG ENER Dominique Ristori, Director General of DG DEVCO Stefano Manservisi, as well as, Deputy Director General of DG RTD and a representative of DG JRC Patrick Child.
It should be noted that The JCPOA was reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries — namely the US, Russia, China, France, and Britain plus Germany — in July 2015. Under the deal, Iran undertook to apply certain limits to its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of all nuclear-related sanctions against Tehran.
Eight IAEA reports have so far confirmed Iran’s full commitment to its side of the bargain.
