White House: Signs of Iran's Cooperation with Inspectors Observed

Hours after Yukiya Amano's statements regarding 'significant progress' in verifying Iran's nuclear activities, the White House described this trend as 'indicative of Iran's cooperation.' Josh Earnest, the White House spokesperson, told reporters on Monday: 'Signs indicate Iran's cooperation with the Agency, and Yukiya Amano's statements invalidate criticisms that inspections were left to Iran itself.' The spokesperson added that Iran had long refrained from cooperating with any Agency inspections. Mr. Earnest attributed Iran's change in behavior to international pressures, especially the sanctions imposed by the United States. The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), after a two-day visit to Iran, told reporters on Monday that 'significant progress' had been made in investigating the past of Tehran's nuclear program. Yukiya Amano also stated that much work remains to be done before the deadline of December 15. Parchin is a site where the Agency claims Iran has likely conducted military-nuclear tests aimed at building an atomic bomb over the past decade. Tehran has denied this accusation but has not allowed inspectors to directly sample from this location. The Director-General, who visited the Parchin site with his deputy, told reporters that he saw a building that was likely used for testing, but it has recently been renovated and emptied of equipment, which could affect the investigations. He stated: 'The extensive operations that have taken place at this site since 2012 cast doubt on the Agency's ability to pursue the verification process.' The Agency aims to gather all necessary information about the past and present of Iran's nuclear program by October 15, and Yukiya Amano will present his final report to the Board of Governors on December 15. This report could pave the way for the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or the Vienna Agreement reached on July 14 between Iran and six world powers.