Salehi: The Agency Should Only Comment Based on the JCPOA, Not Some Interpretations

Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, met and discussed with Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday, May 5, in Vienna, Austria. The IAEA's website announced that the meeting focused on the implementation of the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported from Vienna that Mr. Salehi described the purpose of the meeting as a 'review of actions taken within the framework of the JCPOA in the first quarter of its implementation.' According to the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, Mr. Amano provided a 'good report' on the progress of the nuclear agreement's implementation, and Iranian officials requested that the Agency 'only comment based on the JCPOA, not some interpretations.' Ali Akbar Salehi explained: 'The JCPOA is a very detailed agreement with many clauses, and in some clauses, different interpretative opinions may be expressed. Therefore, we insist that the Agency comments according to what is stated in the clauses, not according to what may be raised with different interpretations.' In the comprehensive nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, the IAEA is designated as the body responsible for verifying the Islamic Republic's nuclear program. However, in Iran, conservatives and principlists opposing the government accuse Hassan Rouhani and the nuclear negotiating team of having drafted the agreement in a way that disregards Iran's national interests.