Yukiya Amano: Progress in Iran's Nuclear Inspections Has Been Limited

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday, March 23, that the agency's investigations into the military dimensions of Iran's nuclear activities have made limited progress; however, Iran has cooperated with the agency in line with the temporary agreement with the major world powers. According to Reuters, the IAEA has long been investigating the possibility of explosive tests and other activities in Iran that may be used to develop a nuclear bomb. This inspection is taking place alongside Iran's negotiations with six major world powers to limit its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Meanwhile, diplomats have expressed concern about limited progress in these negotiations ahead of a final agreement. Under the temporary agreement between Iran and the six major world powers known as the 'Joint Action Plan' reached in 2013, some economic sanctions are lifted in exchange for halting parts of Iran's nuclear program. Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the IAEA, stated at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, 'We have had good cooperation regarding the implementation of the comprehensive inspection agreement with Iran. We are also implementing the Joint Action Plan, and we can say that its execution is going well. However, regarding clarifying the possibility of military dimensions in Iran's nuclear activities, progress is limited, and Iran needs to cooperate more in this regard.' Mr. Amano said the agency still cannot conclude that all of Iran's nuclear activities are for peaceful purposes. He added, 'We continue our investigations into the irreversibility of Iran's nuclear materials, but we are still not in a position to conclude that all of Iran's programs and nuclear materials are for peaceful purposes.' Part of the agency's investigations is focused on clarifying whether nuclear materials such as uranium have been used for military purposes instead of peaceful ones, aimed at building a nuclear bomb.