IAEA Rejects Israeli PM’s Claims about Iran’s Nuclear Activities
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claims about Iran’s nuclear activities, saying the agency “had no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009.”
A report presented in December 2015 by IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano regarding Iran’s nuclear program “stated that the Agency had no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009. Based on the Director General’s report, the Board of Governors declared that its consideration of this issue was closed,” the IAEA said on Tuesday, according to its official website.
European Union Foreign Policy Chief Federica Mogherini also dismissed Netanyahu’s s allegations on Tuesday and said the IAEA is the only official body in charge of verifying Tehran’s compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.
“First of all, it can only be a preliminary reaction, because, obviously, we need to assess the details of the statement Prime Minister (of Israel, Benjamin) Netanyahu has made, look at the documents, and first and foremost get the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) assessment, because the IAEA is the only impartial, international organization that is in charge of monitoring Iran's nuclear commitments,” Mogherini said.
Netanyahu on Monday delivered a televised address in which he accused Iran of violating the JCPOA.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif took to the Twitter on Monday, saying, “The boy who can't stop crying wolf is at it again. Undeterred by cartoon fiasco at UNGA. You can only fool some of the people so many times”.
Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany) reached the 159-page nuclear agreement in July 2015 and started to implement it in January 2016.
Ever since the deal took effect, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA in all quarterly reports, but some other parties, especially the US, have failed to live up to their undertakings.
US President Donald Trump in January set a 120-day deadline for US lawmakers and European allies to “fix” his predecessor Barack Obama’s main foreign policy achievement or face a US exit.