IAEA: We Need More Funds to Monitor Extended Iran Agreement

On Wednesday, December 5, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) called on member states to provide additional funding to continue monitoring the implementation of the temporary agreement between Iran and the P5+1 group. The deadline for Iran and the world powers to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement was extended for another seven months on December 3, and during this period, the temporary Geneva agreement from last year will remain the standard. Reuters reported that with the extension of the deadline for reaching a comprehensive nuclear agreement, the IAEA's responsibilities have increased, including that inspectors who previously visited the uranium enrichment facilities in Natanz and Fordow once a week must now conduct these visits daily. The report includes statements from Sergei Gussev, a senior IAEA official, who said, "More assistance is needed given the extended time. The Agency will contact member states as soon as it identifies its needs." The report notes that the Agency has not specified how much additional money it requires, but it had previously requested voluntary contributions amounting to 6.5 million euros related to Iran's programs. Reuters then cited diplomats as saying that given the political significance of the matter, increasing the IAEA's budget should not be difficult. The Agency had also emphasized last year, after the temporary agreement between Iran and the world powers, that it needed more time and money to monitor the implementation of this agreement. The extension of the deadline for Iran and the P5+1 to reach a comprehensive nuclear agreement means that the parties will have multiple negotiations until July 10 of next year. However, a senior European diplomat told Radio Farda that the main focus is on finalizing these negotiations more quickly. According to him, there was a firm commitment to reach an agreement, but bridging the gaps was not possible. He emphasized that the next round of nuclear negotiations will be held in December, but the location and format of these negotiations are still unclear and a fundamental decision must be made on what level they will be held. In this context, the European Union has extended the suspension of some of Iran's sanctions, the last installments of the second round of the release of Iran's blocked assets have been paid, Iran has not taken "all actions" to clarify its nuclear program, Amano stated that Iran's progress in fulfilling its commitments has slowed since summer.