US Representative at IAEA: Tehran's Destabilizing Activities in the Region Have Intensified

Jackie Wolcott, the US representative at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reacted to the Director General's report on Iran's nuclear program by reiterating the Trump administration's stance: "Since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA, Tehran's destabilizing activities and its support for military groups in the region have intensified." On Thursday, November 1, she expressed regret that "the JCPOA has not been able to permanently end Tehran's destabilizing activities in the region and its nuclear weapon capabilities." These remarks come as President Donald Trump has repeatedly spoken about changing Iran's behavior in recent months following the US exit from the JCPOA and the reimposition of sanctions against Iran. The US representative at the IAEA also welcomed the recent report by Yukiya Amano, the IAEA Director General, on Iran's nuclear activities, calling for the agency's full and professional oversight of Iran's nuclear activities to be essential. Amano had earlier confirmed in a press conference that "Iran has remained committed to its obligations under the JCPOA." He stated, "It is very important that Iran continues to adhere to the JCPOA and its commitments in this regard." Despite the IAEA's repeated emphasis on Iran's compliance with the JCPOA, in May, President Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear agreement with world powers, arguing that Iran was violating the spirit of the JCPOA by continuing its ballistic missile program and hostile behavior in the region, leading to the reimposition of lifted US sanctions in two phases. The US is also seeking to bring Iran back to the negotiating table with a twelve-point request, including a complete suspension of uranium enrichment, aiming for a new agreement with the Islamic Republic. This request was reiterated in Jackie Wolcott's statement, where she expressed hope that "maximum pressure from the US against Tehran could convince the Islamic Republic officials of the need to end their destabilizing behavior in the region and return to the negotiating table as soon as possible." In her statement, Wolcott specified that the US is still waiting for "a comprehensive agreement with Iran to address all US concerns that could simultaneously reintegrate Iran into the international community both politically and economically." Iran has repeatedly dismissed the possibility of renegotiating the JCPOA and described the US conditions as "impossible." Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the JCPOA on Thursday, December 1, in Rome, Italy, as an important document with global backing and significant effort put into it. He spoke of Iran's "distrust of the US for any further negotiations with this country" following the US withdrawal from the JCPOA. Zarif continued, "Trump exited the agreement out of hatred for Obama. Why should we revisit a discussion just because someone doesn't like it, simply because someone hates their predecessor?" The nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries was signed in 2015, known as the JCPOA. After taking office in 2016, President Trump announced that the US would withdraw from this agreement and reimpose sanctions against Iran. Meanwhile, other signatory countries have stated that they remain committed to the agreement and will continue trade with Iran. Therefore, Europeans are seeking to find a special mechanism to continue trade with Iranian parties within this financial framework.