Request by 13 American Senators for Increased Inspections of Iran

Thirteen Republican senators have written a letter to Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, calling for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect the military facilities of the Islamic Republic and to intensify verification of Iran's commitments under the nuclear agreement with six world powers, known as the JCPOA. David Perdue, a Republican senator from Georgia, published the text of the letter on Friday, November 5, which was signed on Thursday, October 27. The signatories expressed their concerns about the current state of inspections and verification of the JCPOA being conducted by the IAEA. Among the signatories are Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, David Perdue, Mike Lee, John Barrasso, and Johnny Isakson. The letter states that when the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was announced, President Obama promised that under this agreement, inspectors would be able to access any suspicious location at any time. However, the authors of the letter emphasized that this does not seem to be happening in practice. Recently, Iranian military officials have stated that they will not allow inspections of military facilities. These Republican senators stressed that they believe that without inspections of Iran's military facilities, the IAEA cannot reach a reliable conclusion regarding the verification of Iran's commitments under Section T of the nuclear agreement. The signatories have urged the U.S. ambassador to the UN to emphasize the necessity of pursuing this aspect of the nuclear agreement. Section T refers to activities that could contribute to the design and development of a nuclear explosive device. This letter was published ahead of the visit of the IAEA Director General to Iran, scheduled for Saturday (tomorrow). Previously, Reuters had asked IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano about Section T, and he responded that the agency's tools for verification in this area are 'limited.' In an interview published on September 25, he stated that in other areas, Iran has committed to provide 'declarations, bring its activities under safeguards, or guarantee agency access.' However, according to Amano, such commitments are not observed in relation to Section T. The Director General expressed hope that the parties to the agreement would discuss this in the Joint Commission and that, according to him, 'clarifying the terms used, including the technology mentioned in the text, could lead to progress in this area.' Amano is visiting Iran at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump, two weeks ago, 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 stance against Iran, Washington will withdraw from this agreement. Following the refusal to certify Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, the U.S. Congress has until mid-December to make decisions regarding the Vienna nuclear agreement and nuclear sanctions against Iran.