Iran slams IAEA failure to abide by previous deal
Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran has censured the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its failure to abide by its previous agreements with Tehran.
In a Thursday interview with Inter Press Service, Ali Akbar Salehi said pursuant to the February 2014 “Framework for Cooperation” agreement between Tehran and the IAEA, the UN nuclear supervisory body should have ended the investigation into Iran’s “exploding bridge-wire (EBW) experiments.”
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano has so far refused to finalize the issues regarding the fast-functioning detonators, despite the fact that the EBW was the first issue that the two sides agreed to resolve under the agreement.
“We have agreed that once our explanations were enough to bring this to conclusion they would have to close that issue,” Salehi said, adding, “They should not keep the issue open.”
The IAEA is scheduled to release a new monthly report on Iran’s nuclear energy program on Friday.
Diplomats say the report is expected to confirm Iran’s commitment to the November 2013 interim nuclear deal with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council – the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China – plus Germany.
In the same month, Iran and the IAEA signed a joint statement to outline a roadmap on mutual cooperation on certain outstanding nuclear issues. Under the deal, Iran agreed, on a voluntary basis, to allow IAEA inspectors to visit Arak heavy water plant in central Iran and Gachin uranium mine in southern Iran.
In its latest report on May 23, the IAEA confirmed that Iran had presented documents corroborating Tehran’s contention that it had conducted EBW experiments for civilian purposes with no military dimension.
