IAEA Rejects Israeli Official's Claim of 'Weakness' in Inspections of Iran

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has rejected claims made by an Israeli newspaper and an 'Israeli official' regarding the agency's weakness in inspecting 'suspected nuclear sites' in Iran. The UN-affiliated nuclear watchdog stated in a response sent to Israeli network i24 that the assertions made in Haaretz about the agency's weakness regarding Iran are incorrect. The IAEA's response was sent on Sunday, September 17, just hours after the publication of the Haaretz report. The agency added that the Haaretz report does not accurately reflect the agency's work, which is conducted based on nuclear safeguards principles. The IAEA further stated that it has access to a significant amount of information and locations in Iran, and its ability to verify Iran's compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA has significantly increased. Haaretz reported on Sunday, citing 'an Israeli official' described as 'a source familiar with JCPOA negotiations,' that the IAEA, despite receiving information about 'a large number of suspicious sites' in Iran suspected of nuclear activities, either did not visit them or conducted inspections too late. The Israeli official claimed that IAEA inspectors preferred to avoid confrontation with Iran due to the country's firm opposition to inspections of certain sites. The official stated that information regarding activities at 'suspicious sites' in Iran was transferred to the IAEA and several global powers that signed the JCPOA by 'an agent in a Western country' months after the JCPOA was implemented (in early winter 2015), but the IAEA 'neglected' it. The confrontation between the IAEA and Israel regarding this report comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump in New York on Monday, September 18. The Jerusalem Post reported that ahead of the third meeting between Trump and Netanyahu in the past eight months, the Israeli Prime Minister will present 'specific proposals to change or cancel the JCPOA' to the U.S. President. Haaretz also wrote hours before this meeting that Netanyahu's goal is to convince Trump to announce the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA on October 15 (October 23) on the grounds that 'Iran has violated its nuclear commitments,' and in that case, Congress would impose further sanctions on Iran. Meanwhile, Haaretz reported that Netanyahu is trying to push for the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA while a significant majority of senior U.S. officials' advisors oppose this view and consider it detrimental to U.S. interests. According to Haaretz, advisors to General James Mattis, the Secretary of Defense, Rex Tillerson, the Secretary of State, and several other senior U.S. officials have advised Trump to focus on increasing oversight of Iran's nuclear sites and containing 'Iran's terrorist activities in the Middle East.' The newspaper also reported last week that many of Israel's own intelligence agencies oppose Netanyahu and his Defense Minister's pressure on the U.S. to withdraw from the JCPOA. Last week, Netanyahu stated during his visit to Argentina that he clearly said the JCPOA is 'a bad deal that must be canceled or amended.' Israeli media reported that Netanyahu will also emphasize the 'dangers of Iran's military presence in Syria' during his discussions with Trump on Monday and in his meetings with other world leaders in New York. Following the 60-minute meeting with Trump on Monday, Netanyahu is scheduled to speak on Tuesday, September 19, at the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly focusing on Iran issues. Israeli media reported that Netanyahu, who arrived in New York last Friday, has focused most of his time over the past three days on his speech for the General Assembly. Meanwhile, Israeli reporters, citing officials accompanying Netanyahu on his trip to New York, have reported that he is likely to say a sentence or two in Persian during his speech on Tuesday. Israeli media have written that Netanyahu's Persian remarks, which he has worked hard to articulate well, are likely directed at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, or Hassan Rouhani, the President of the Iranian regime, who is also present in New York. In previous General Assembly sessions, Netanyahu has attempted to draw public attention to his government's position on Iran by actions such as drawing a map of Iran's atomic bomb or showing historical books from the General Assembly podium.