|
Trending Topics
|
(Mis)Reading the IAEA Reports on Iran's Nuclear Program
(The Hill) Tzvi Kahn - The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano, admitted last week that the UN watchdog has proven unable to verify Iran's compliance with Section T of the 2015 nuclear deal, which prohibits activities that could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device. Contrary to media reports, the IAEA has never fully certified Iran's compliance with the JCPOA. Since the JCPOA's implementation in January 2016, none of the IAEA reports state that Iran has complied with the JCPOA. Moreover, IAEA reports have failed to include key information on a range of compliance issues, including centrifuge R&D, nuclear weaponization activities, IAEA access to military sites, illegal procurement efforts, and the exact amount of heavy water under Iran's control. As Amano said in March 2017, "it is the responsibility" of each JCPOA member to reach an "interpretation" and a "judgment" of "whether or not (Iran is) in compliance." The writer is a senior Iran analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.