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VIENNA— Any collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers would be a“great loss”, the head of the UN atomic agency policing the accord said yesterday, alluding to a US threat to pull out of it.
US President Donald Trump has threatened to pull out of the deal unless Congress and European allies help“fix” it with a follow-up agreement.
International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano, whose agency is monitoring Iranian compliance with curbs on its disputed nuclear activity imposed by the agreement, has long called the deal a“net gain” for nuclear verification, since it has provided the IAEA with more thorough oversight of Iran.
But in a speech yesterday to a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors, he went further, evoking the possibility of the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), unravelling.
“The JCPOA represents a significant gain for verification,” Amano said, according to a text of his speech published by his agency.“If the JCPOA were to fail, it would be a great loss for nuclear verification and for multilateralism.”
Amano said Iran was implementing its commitments under the deal, which also lifted painful economic sanctions against the Islamic Republic. He confirmed the findings of a quarterly, confidential IAEA report on Iran issued last month.
As mentioned in the report, the IAEA has requested clarification from Iran about its plans to develop nuclear marine propulsion, Amano said, suggesting the IAEA has still not heard back from the Islamic Republic. — Reuters.
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