Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency to Visit Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency announced that Yukiya Amano, the director general of this UN-affiliated organization, will travel to Tehran next Saturday to meet with Iranian officials. This announcement was reflected in the German news agency on Wednesday, November 3, stating that Mr. Amano will discuss the inspections of the IAEA at Iran's nuclear facilities and the monitoring of the Vienna nuclear agreement during his meetings with the Islamic Republic officials. This visit comes less than two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump refused to certify Iran's compliance with the Vienna nuclear agreement and threatened that if the U.S. Congress or its allies do not take a hard line against Iran, Washington will withdraw from the agreement. Following the refusal to certify Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, the U.S. Congress has until mid-December to take a stance on the Vienna nuclear agreement. It is likely that Congress will reinstate previous nuclear sanctions that were lifted as a result of the JCPOA. Meanwhile, Mr. Amano has emphasized that under the Vienna nuclear agreement, Iran's nuclear program is subject to the most stringent international oversight. Iranian officials have also regarded Mr. Amano's visit to Tehran as a sign of the IAEA's support for the Vienna nuclear agreement. According to a report by the Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, Bahram Qasemi, the spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, described Yukiya Amano's trip to Tehran as "continuing mutual visits between IAEA managers and Iranian officials to review the latest status of cooperation and communications between the two sides regarding the JCPOA, safeguard issues, and peaceful nuclear cooperation." He further stated, "Amano's visit in the current atmosphere, created by the baseless and unacceptable statements of American officials against the JCPOA, and considering that he has confirmed Iran's full compliance with its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA in all his official reports to the Board of Governors, is a strong indication of the firm support of this international organization for the JCPOA." Yukiya Amano had stated after Trump's remarks about the nuclear agreement that Iran has so far adhered to its commitments under this agreement. In this context, the director general of the IAEA called for clarification on a disputed section of the JCPOA.