UN nuclear agency counters Trump objections to Iran deal

"We have had access to all the locations that we needed to visit,” Yukiya Amano, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told the Financial Times.

And that the role of military locations in its monitoring program had been "overly exaggerated”, he added.

Trump — who has lambasted the seven-country agreement backed by the UN and EU as the "worst deal ever” — last month highlighted access to military sites among his chief criticisms of a deal he has threatened to terminate if Congress and allies cannot find a way to fix it.

"Iranian officials and military leaders have repeatedly claimed they will not allow inspectors on to military sites,” he said in a national address last month in which he refused to certify the deal, the signature foreign policy achievement of the Obama administration.

The US president, who also spoke of "multiple violations” and "insufficient enforcement” during his October 13 announcement, instead handed the 2015 deal’s future to Congress. It has until December 12 to decide whether to reimpose nuclear-related sanctions under expedited procedures, a move likely to end the deal and permit Iran to renew to its nuclear program.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in September that should the deal collapse, Tehran would be "walking away with better technology” as it had continued its research and development and improved its technological base in the meantime.

Trump has also alleged that Iran "intimidated international inspectors into not using the full inspection authorities”.

Amano to meet Mogherini, Haley

But Amano, who is due to meet US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley in New York on Wednesday, said he wanted to clear up several "misunderstandings” about the deal.

"Iran is under the most robust verification agreement in the world now,” he said. "As of today we can say that the commitments are being implemented.”

Uncertainty over the future of the agreement has sent European leaders and other deal supporters into a flurry of diplomacy as they strain to safeguard its future and deal with an unpredictable Trump, who says he can be persuaded to keep the deal if its flaws are fixed.

Amano is also due to meet Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief and a fierce deal defender, who is meeting senior lawmakers in Washington this week.

Amano also suggested Iran could also take action to help itself. He said it would be "very helpful” if Iran were to provide a baseline declaration regarding "Section T”, a clause that bans the country from developing so-called dual-use technology that could generate a nuclear explosive device.

"‘Section T’ is not [an] access clause, it is a clause related to dual-use and we are verifying it using the Additional Protocol,” he said of a mechanism separate from the deal that permits the IAEA an expanded right of access to information and locations but which Iran implements only "provisionally”.

He said it would help if Iran were to ratify the Additional Protocol so that it comes into permanent force, rather than "sunsetting” — a reference to requirements tapering off with time. He said "greater clarity relating to ‘Section T’ will be helpful” but added it was down to deal signatories to determine any areas they might tighten.

Amano also defended his organization against concerns that spies could insert themselves into his inspection team. The agency, which operates under secretive conditions, said it would soon recruit a new younger generation of inspectors.

"What you hear from the [US] state department people is that in the future they have some concerns [about] the rotation or recruitment but this is something that we can manage,” he said. "We are loyal only to the agency.”

Source:Irandailynews