Amano: Iran is Under the Strongest Nuclear Oversight Regime in the World

Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), stated that he reminded the leaders of global powers that Iran is "under the strongest nuclear oversight regime in the world." In a statement released on Friday, April 1, and provided to Radio Farda, it was emphasized that Iran "not only implements the safeguards agreement" it has with the IAEA, "but is also implementing the Additional Protocol." The IAEA Director General, who is currently in the United States, said he communicated this to the leaders and senior officials of the six countries involved in the nuclear agreement with Iran: the United States, the United Kingdom, Russia, France, Germany, and China. One day prior to these remarks, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, also emphasized that the most precise and comprehensive inspection regime ever established is in place to monitor Iran's nuclear activities. In an article he wrote for the Washington Post, Obama referred to a "nuclear-armed Iran" as "an unacceptable threat to the national security of the United States and its allies." Iran and global powers reached an agreement in 2015 after ten years of negotiations on how to continue the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. Under this agreement, Iran agreed to halt and modify a significant portion of its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of unprecedented international sanctions against various sectors, including energy and banking. The IAEA monitors Iran's remaining nuclear program to ensure it does not deviate towards a military program. Yukiya Amano also emphasized in his recent statement that "this is only the beginning of a process that will take years." In this context, Obama regarded the nuclear agreement with Iran as a model for future diplomacy.