NCRI Staff
NCRI – Tensions between the United States and Iran regime are mounting. The deadline of 15th October for President Donald Trump to inform Congress about whether Iran will be certified compliant with the 2015 nuclear agreement is approaching.
The future of the deal is on very shaky ground because if Trump decides to not certify Iran with compliance, Congress will have to decide whether to reapply the crippling sanctions that were in place before the deal was signed.
Earlier this week, the chief of the United Nations watchdog called on the major world powers that are part of the nuclear deal to provide clarification regarding Iran’s use of technology that can be used to develop an atom bomb.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an independent organisation that reports to the United Nations and Security Council and is in charge of verifying whether Iran is complying with the nuclear agreement.
Before he became president, Trump has said that he would like to scrap the deal. He said that it was a very bad deal and criticised the Obama administration’s treatment of Iran.
Last week at the United Nations General Assembly, President Trump said that the nuclear deal is an “embarrassment” to the US and claimed it was extremely “one-sided”.
The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said that the nuclear watchdog needs to extend inspections to Iran’s military sites as it was very relevant to the deal. The Iranian government is furious about her comments and it has said that it will refuse access.
In response to Amano’s request for clarification, Russia has said that the agency has no business in getting involved with matters regarding Iran’s use of technology that can be used to develop an atom bomb.
Reports indicate that Russia is attempting to restrict the role of the IAEA. The provision, known as Section T, prohibits Iran from being involved in “activities which could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device”. The provision provides several examples, such as designing multi-point, explosive detonation systems and using computer models that simulate a nuclear bomb.
However, Section T (and numerous other parts of the deal) does not state how verification will be carried out. Russia is using this as the reason for insisting that the IAEA has no right to get involved. However, the IAEA and leaders in the West disagree.
Amano pointed out that Iran has not committed to submit declarations, as it has done for other sections. Therefore, there is a need for further cooperation to come up with a solution that can hopefully be reached in the Joint Commission.
The vagueness and lack of clarity in the deal is one criticism that many have of the nuclear deal.
