Amano: Agency Inspectors Have No Issues Performing Their Duties in Iran

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated at a conference in Abu Dhabi that the agency's inspectors have no problems carrying out their duties in Iran, and Tehran continues to fulfill its commitments. The U.S. President has described inspections of Iran as 'weak.' Yukiya Amano, the IAEA Director General, traveled to Abu Dhabi after a visit to Tehran to participate in a United Nations conference on nuclear energy and spoke with reporters. During a time when the U.S. government, led by Donald Trump, has repeatedly accused Iran of violating the 'spirit' of the JCPOA, and Trump himself has recently refrained from providing a 90-day confirmation regarding the agreement, some of the questions directed at Amano were related to the nuclear agreement of July 2015 and Iran's commitments. Amano stated, 'Our inspectors have no problems in carrying out their duties.' The U.S. has called for more thorough and meticulous inspections of Iran's facilities by the agency managed by Yukiya Amano. The U.S. government has raised questions about providing the necessary and sufficient permissions to the IAEA for inspecting Iran's military sites. President Trump had described the inspections as 'weak' two weeks ago. On September 18, he warned that if he concludes that the agency is not being stringent enough in its oversight of Iran's nuclear program, his administration would withdraw from the nuclear agreement and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. On October 13, he also stated, 'We have received weak inspections regarding a short-term pause in Iran's path to acquiring nuclear weapons.' Nikki Haley, the U.S. representative to the United Nations, also expressed during a meeting with IAEA officials in Vienna on the first day of September that her government wants to know if the agency has a plan to verify Iran's nuclear activities and commitments through visits to the country's military sites. One day after this meeting, the Iranian representation at the IAEA described Ms. Haley's discussions as contradictory to the JCPOA and the agency's role. Ms. Haley stated that Tehran has a history of conducting suspicious activities at various sites, including military and academic centers, and concealing them. The Iranian representation also stated that the government is familiar with its commitments and has been 'committed' to them. Iran has denied attempts to acquire nuclear weapons in recent years, but obstructions and non-cooperation with the demands of the UN Security Council have led to extensive sanctions against Tehran. These sanctions were ultimately lifted following the nuclear agreement between Iran, the U.S. government led by Barack Obama, and five other world powers in exchange for limitations on Iran's nuclear program. The IAEA Director General in Abu Dhabi rejected the idea of creating problems or obstacles for the agency's inspections in Iran and emphasized that 'Iran is under the most stringent nuclear verification regime in the world.' Amano, who on November 1 stated after a meeting with the Iranian President that 'Iran's commitments under the JCPOA have been implemented to date,' reiterated in Abu Dhabi that 'I have called for Iran to fully comply with its commitments regarding the nuclear issue. This was the most important focus of my visit to Iran.' He then added that the agency he leads confirms that Tehran is currently still fulfilling its commitments.