AEOI Spokesman: Iran Cooperating with IAEA beyond Safeguards

Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi underscored the country’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency beyond the safeguards agreements between the two sides, and called on the IAEA to announce the results of this cooperation.
“It has been announced several times that the Islamic Republic of Iran is ready to cooperate with the IAEA in different aspects and now Iran’s cooperation is beyond the safeguard undertakings and therefore it is expected that the IAEA officials will pay attention to this issue and announce the results of this cooperation,” Kamalvandi said in an interview with the state-run TV on Tuesday.

He underlined the positive cooperation between Iran and the IAEA, and said Director-General of the IAEA Yukiya Amano has stressed in his reports that Iran has cooperated with the UN nuclear watchdog both within the framework of the negotiations with the Group 5+1 (the US, Russia, China, Britain and France plus Germany) and the joint statement with the UN nuclear watchdog agency.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran favors accelerating the negotiations since all Iran’s nuclear activities are peaceful,” Kamalvandi said.

Earlier this month, Deputy Director-General and Head of the Department of Safeguards of the IAEA Tero Varjoranta confirmed non-diversion of Iran’s civilian nuclear activities.

Addressing a technical session of the IAEA in Vienna, Austria, Varjoranta underlined once again Iran’s transparent nuclear policies.

He further underscored the vital importance of the recent visit of Amano to Iran and his meetings with senior Iranian officials, and said, “We will soon hold another technical meeting in this regard.”

Also, earlier this month, a report by the IAEA said the agency continues its work of monitoring and verification of Iran’s nuclear activities according to the Joint Plan of Action (JPA) cut in Geneva on November 24, 2013 by Iran and the six major world powers and confirmed that there has been no diversion in Iran’s nuclear activities.

The Agency requested that Iran propose new practical measures by 2 September 2014 to be implemented by Iran in the next step in relation to the Framework for Cooperation.

According to the report, the Agency has continued to undertake monitoring and verification in relation to the nuclear-related measures set out in the Joint Plan of Action.

The report said since the JPA took effect, Iran has not enriched UF6 above 5% U-235 at any of its declared facilities. As a result of down-blending and conversion that has taken place over the same period, Iran no longer has a stock of UF6 enriched up to 20% U-235.

According to the report, while enrichment of UF6 up to 5% U-235 continues at a rate of production similar to that indicated in the Director General’s previous reports, as Iran has begun converting some of this nuclear material at the Enriched UO2 Powder Plant (EUPP), the amount of such nuclear material that remains in the form of UF6 enriched up to 5% U-235 has decreased to 7,765 kg.

The report went on to say that no additional major components have been installed at the IR-40 Reactor and there has been no manufacture and testing of fuel for the reactor.

It said Iran has continued to provide the Agency with managed access to centrifuge assembly workshops, centrifuge rotor production workshops and storage facilities.

In August, the IAEA appreciated Tehran for its cooperation, and said the agency officials held positive negotiations with Iran.

In its latest report issued in Vienna at the time, the IAEA appreciated the positive and progressive negotiations with Iran, and lauded Tehran for its cooperation.

The trend of negotiations between Iran and the IAEA has been fully positive, specially in the past year, the IAEA report said.

Amano was in the Iranian capital in August at the head of a high-ranking delegation.

During the visit, Amano appreciated the positive and progressive negotiations with Iran, and lauded Tehran for its cooperation.