The Board of Governors of the IAEA Supports Yukiya Amano for a Third Term

The Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Tuesday, March 9, supported Yukiya Amano's candidacy for another three-year term as head of the agency with 35 members of this body, allowing him to continue important current policies, including dealing with Iran's nuclear activities. According to Reuters, this 69-year-old Japanese diplomat has been at the helm of the IAEA since 2009, coinciding with significant events such as negotiations and the nuclear agreement with Iran and the occurrence and consequences of the Fukushima nuclear disaster. According to diplomats, the decision of the IAEA Board was made without a vote, meaning that no opposing views were expressed. This decision must be approved by the General Conference of all member states, which will be held in September and is expected to be ceremonial. Mr. Amano's candidacy for a third term came despite his statement on March 4, 2009, that he would not run for the IAEA presidency again if elected to this position for a third time. According to the transcript of Mr. Amano's speech published on the Japanese Foreign Ministry's website, he stated: 'Before concluding, I would like to add that if I am elected, I will not run for a third term.' While the private meeting of the Board members was still ongoing, the U.S. delegation to the IAEA congratulated Mr. Amano via Twitter, stating: 'The United States is committed to continuing cooperation and support for him in advancing his responsibilities.' Given that most member states of the Board had expressed their support for Mr. Amano before the meeting, but the U.S. position was still unclear, everyone was waiting to see what stance the U.S. representative would take at the IAEA. Reuters adds that Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the agency, had disagreements with U.S. leaders regarding the Iranian nuclear file, and even officials in George W. Bush's administration accused him of being too lenient in dealing with Tehran. Therefore, at the beginning of Mr. Amano's tenure, Western countries were looking for a diplomat who would be more compatible with them. Mr. ElBaradei received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015, two years after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, along with the IAEA. Mr. Amano, in stark contrast to Mr. ElBaradei's political approach, usually emphasizes the technical nature of the agency's tasks, which include monitoring and inspecting the limitations imposed on Iran's nuclear activities under the nuclear agreement with the international community in exchange for the suspension of sanctions. A person who was speculated to possibly run for this position was an Argentine diplomat named Rafael Grossi, who decided not to participate in the competition. Mr. Amano has described the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers as a 'net benefit' because it has reduced the scope of Iran's nuclear activities while also allowing for stricter and more precise inspections of its nuclear facilities. The nuclear agreement with Iran was one of the topics of his discussions last week with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, but neither side commented on the Secretary of State's views on this agreement.