Iran, IAEA urge commitment to nuclear deal by all parties

Iranian officials and the visiting Chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano on Sunday called for commitment of all the parties to Iran's 2015 international nuclear deal.

کد خبر: ۷۴۲۷۵۳

تاریخ: ۰۸ آبان ۱۳۹۶ - ۰۸:۴۳

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday that Iran would remain committed to its obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal as long as Iran benefits from the agreement, Tasnim news agency reported.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly announced that it will not be the first party to withdraw from nuclear deal with six world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Rouhani said at a meeting with Amano in the capital Tehran.

A country that has signed an international and multilateral agreement does not have the right to deal with it in whatever way it likes, Rouhani said, referring to the U.S. administration's treatment and interpretation of the deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that the United States could not formally certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear accord. Washington has also demanded inspections of Iran's military sites, which Tehran has rejected.

"We are committed to the JCPOA as long as we can enjoy the benefits mentioned in the deal," Rouhani stressed.

Earlier on Sunday, Amano said that Iran is living up to its commitments under the 2015 international nuclear deal, Tehran Times daily reported.

Since January 2016, the IAEA has monitored Iran's nuclear commitments under the nuclear agreement and conducted verification checks, said Amano.

"The agency believes that the JCPOA is an important achievement for verification. The agency could stipulate that Iran's nuclear commitments under the JCPOA are being implemented," he was also quoted as saying by Press TV on Sunday.

Amano made the remarks in a press conference with Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi.

Amano is in Tehran for talks with the Iranian senior officials focusing on the verification and monitoring of the implementation of the 2015 nuclear agreement.

The IAEA is in charge of monitoring restrictions on Iran's nuclear program under the nuclear agreement. So far the agency has released eight reports each time confirming Iran's adherence to the international nuclear pact.

On Sunday, Salehi said that he has exchanged views with Amano about Section T of the JCPOA, which deals with the technology that could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device.

Section T does not include special inspections, but the United States is making its own special interpretation of the provision, Salehi was quoted as saying by Press TV.

He warned that "we can produce uranium enrichment at 20 percent within four days, but we do not want the JCPOA to collapse."

Following the nuclear agreement between Iran and the major world powers in 2015, which was implemented in Jan. 2016, Iran agreed to stop the enrichment of uranium to 20 percent level.

On Sunday, Rouhani also slammed Washington for what he called its "failure" to live up to its obligations.

He described any call by the United States for renegotiating the agreement as "absurd."

"The administration of a country that violates the international obligations of the previous administration is not trustworthy," he said.

Donald Trump has called the Iran nuclear deal, reached during the former U.S. president Barack Obama administration, "an embarrassment" for the United States and has called for renegotiations over some parts of it.

Besides, Rouhani said that Iran seeks to boost long-term cooperation with the IAEA, Press TV reported.

"Our determination is to have long-term cooperation with the agency within the framework of international regulations," Rouhani said.

"We hope that given Iran's full cooperation in recent years, the agency will declare its final conclusion about the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program as soon as possible," he added.

Iran expects that the UN nuclear agency, in line with its measures and duties, would provide Iran with the same help it gives to other countries committed to the IAEA Safeguards Agreement and the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Rouhani said.

Also, in a meeting with Amano on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized that all parties to the nuclear deal must remain committed to it.