The UN’s nuclear agency has reiterated that it has “no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009,” citing its assessments from 2015.
In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesman for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) referred to the so-called possible military dimensions (PMD) case in Iran’s nuclear program, saying that the agency’s Board of Governors had “declared that its consideration of this issue was closed” after it was presented with a report in December 2015.
The IAEA’s Board of Governors voted overwhelmingly in December 2015, months after a nuclear deal was signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries, in favor of a resolution that closed the PMD.
The IAEA spokesman further said, “In line with standard IAEA practice, the IAEA evaluates all [nuclear] safeguards-relevant information available to it. However, it is not the practice of the IAEA to publicly discuss issues related to any such information.”
Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.
Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.
Since the JCPOA Implementation Day, the IAEA has been monitoring Iran’s compliance with its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal and has consistently verified the Islamic Republic’s compliance.
The statement came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a televised address in which he accused Iran of violating the JCPOA.
The hawkish Israeli premier claimed that he had new “proof” via captured documents that Iran had developed a nuclear weapons plan, which could be activated at any time.
Netanyahu’s accusations came as US President Donald Trump considers whether to pull out of the 2015 nuclear accord.
Trump is a stern critic of the nuclear deal, reached under his predecessor Barack Obama, and has repeatedly warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement.
Source: Press TV
