VIENNA: The head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Monday Iran was playing by the rules set out in a nuclear accord it signed with six world powers in 2015, after Washington suggested it was not adhering to the deal.
The State Department must notify Congress every 90 days of Iran’s compliance with the deal. The next deadline is October, and US President Donald Trump has said he thinks by then the US will declare Iran non-compliant.
Yukiya Amano, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Iran had not broken any promises and was not receiving special treatment.
“The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the (deal) are being implemented,” he said in the text of a speech to a quarterly meeting of the IAEA’s 35-member Board of Governors.
Most sanctions on Iran were lifted 18 months ago under the deal and, despite overstepping a limit on its stocks of one chemical, it has adhered to the key limitations imposed on it.
In April, Trump ordered a review of whether a suspension of sanctions on Iran related to the nuclear deal, negotiated under President Barack Obama, was in the US national security interest. He has called it “the worst deal ever negotiated.”
Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the UN, traveled to Vienna last month to speak with Amano about Iran and asked if the IAEA planned to inspect Iranian military sites, something she has called for.
Iran dismissed the US demand as “merely a dream.”
Iran has been applying an Additional Protocol, which is in force in dozens of nations and gives the IAEA access to sites, including military locations, to clarify questions or inconsistencies that may arise.
“We will continue to implement the Additional Protocol in Iran ...as we do in other countries,” Amano said.
In addition, the IAEA can request access to Iranian sites including military ones if it has concerns about activities or materials there that would violate the agreement, but it must show Iran the basis for those concerns.
That means new and credible information pointing to such a violation is required first, officials from the agency and major powers say. There is no indication that Washington has presented such information.
Nuclear deal: US may declare Iran non-compliant next month
Nuclear deal: US may declare Iran non-compliant next month
Syria participates in coalition meeting against Daesh for first time
- Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani, intelligence chief Hussein Al-Salama attend gathering in Saudi capital
LONDON: The Syrian Arab Republic has participated in a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh for the first time since the group’s establishment in 2014.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein Al-Salama attended the meeting of the political directors of the coalition, which was held in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on Monday.
Syria’s participation in the meeting, which aims to combat the cross-border terror group, marks a significant shift in regional and international counterterrorism efforts.
The country became the 90th member of the coalition in November following President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s visit to Washington and his meeting with US President Donald Trump.
The visit resulted in a declaration of political cooperation, without military commitments, positioning Syria as a partner in efforts to combat Daesh and support regional stability, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency.
Al-Shaibani said: “Our meeting today was constructive and fruitful, and we emphasized that supporting Syria is a shared responsibility to enhance security and stability.
“We thank the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United States, and all participating countries for their efforts and support for Syria and its people.”
