The International Atomic Energy Agency says it has "no credible" evidence Iran was working on developing a nuclear explosive device after 2009 and that the UN's nuclear watchdog considered the issue "closed" after it was presented in a report in December 2015.
The 2015 report "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 in a statement on Tuesday.
"The agency's overall assessment was that a range of activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device were conducted in Iran prior to the end of 2003 as a coordinated effort, and some activities took place after 2003. The agency also assessed that these activities did not advance beyond feasibility and scientific studies, and the acquisition of certain relevant technical competences and capabilities," it added.
The IAEA statement comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contended on Monday that Israel had documents that showed new "proof" of an Iranian nuclear-weapons plan that could be activated at any time.
Standing in front of a big screen and using large visual aids, Netanyahu claimed that "Iran is brazenly lying" about its nuclear activities, presenting 55,000 pages of documents and 55,000 files on CDs as purported evidence.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he personally reviewed Israel's cache of documents about Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program and believes Tehran lied to the world.
Iran denies any military aspects to its nuclear program which it says is totally dedicated to peaceful applications.
Under an agreement in 2015 with world leaders, Iran curbed its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.
Since then, UN nuclear inspectors have repeatedly reported that Iran is heeding the terms of the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
***Farcical Circus
Dismissing the "unfounded" allegations, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said, "He gave a ridiculous theatrical presentation and the United States has so far performed any theatrical show it could, but they have still failed to do anything. They have failed to stand against the Iranian nation."
Trump has threatened to pull Washington out of the international deal unless it is not fixed by May 12.
After Netanyahu spoke, Trump repeated his criticism of the deal, suggesting he backed the Israeli leader's remarks, according to Reuters.
***Rehash of Old Claims
In response, Zarif wrote on his official Twitter account, "Pres. Trump is jumping on a rehash of old allegations already dealt with by the IAEA to 'nix' the deal. How convenient. Coordinated timing of alleged intelligence revelations by the boy who cries wolf just days before May 12. But Trump's impetuousness to celebrate blew the cover."
Zarif added a few hours later, "On 4/12, Pompeo testified no need to worry about nixing JCPOA as Iran 'not racing to a weapon before the deal', nor would 'turn to race to … weapon' after. Now says 'time to revisit question of whether Iran can be trusted to enrich … any nuclear material'. So, which one is it?"
***EU Reaction
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said what the Israeli premier tried to present as documents on Iran's "secret" nuclear work fails to question Tehran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, and that any such claims should solely be assessed by the UN nuclear watchdog.
"What I have seen from the first reports is that Prime Minister Netanyahu has not put into question Iran's compliance with the JCPOA commitments, meaning post-2015 nuclear commitments," Mogherini said Monday.
Mogherini added that the JCPOA "is not based on assumptions of good faith or trust—it is based on concrete commitments, verification mechanisms and a very strict monitoring of facts, done by the IAEA. The IAEA has published ten reports, certifying that Iran has fully complied with its commitments."
"And in any case, if any party and if any country has information of non-compliance, of any kind, it can and should address and channel this information to the proper, legitimate, recognized mechanisms, the IAEA and the Joint Commission [of the JCPOA] for the monitoring of the nuclear deal that I chair and that I convened just a couple of months ago. We have mechanisms in place to address eventual concerns," she said.
France's Foreign Ministry said the Israeli data underscored the need to ensure that the Iran nuclear deal and UN inspections remained.
"This information should be studied and evaluated in detail," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.
"The new information presented by Israel could also confirm the need for longer-term assurances on the Iranian program, as the president has proposed," the statement added.
