IAEA's Iran Approach "Almost Fair"

A lawmaker described the approach of the International Atomic Energy Agency in monitoring Iran's commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal as "almost fair".

Iran and P5+1 (the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany) concluded the landmark deal after about two years of negotiations and implemented it in early 2016 to scale back Tehran's nuclear work in return for relief from international sanctions.

A report by the UN nuclear agency that confirmed Iran had put in place all the nuclear curbs agreed under the pact gave the green light for its implementation. IAEA is now charged with verifying that the Islamic Republic sticks to its commitments and has released several reports.

"The agency acted in an almost fair manner in monitoring Iran' side of JCPOA in 2016," spokesperson for Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Hossein Naqavi Hosseini, said in an interview with ICANA on Tuesday.

Hosseini was using an abbreviation that stands for the formal name of the agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

"IAEA has certified in its reports that Tehran has kept to the action plan," he said.

"The agency's verification measures and P5+1's monitoring of JCPOA's implementation show that the Islamic Republic has respected all its commitments."

Hosseini's comments came after the Vienna-based agency's website published a report on December 30 giving the highlights of its work in 2016, including on its Iran monitoring.

"The IAEA's board of governors had authorized [its chief Yukiya] Amano to implement verification and monitoring of Iran's nuclear-related commitments under JCPOA in August 2015, following a request by the United Nations Security Council. The implementation of JCPOA marked the beginning of a new phase in relations between Iran and the IAEA," the report said.

"To ensure effective and efficient verification and monitoring of Iran's nuclear-related commitments under JCPOA, a new Office of Safeguards Verification in Iran was established and a new 24/7 high-tech device, the Online Enrichment Monitor, or OLEM, was installed to verify that Iran keeps its level of uranium enrichment at up to 3.67%, as committed under JCPOA."

Other major restrictions on Iran's nuclear program included dismantling two-thirds of centrifuges at its nuclear enrichment sites Fordo and Natanz, and redesigning and rebuilding the Arak heavy water reactor, converting it into a facility that produces less plutonium.