Iran implementing nuclear-related commitments under JCPOA: IAEA

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has once again confirmed that Iran is implementing its commitments under the 2015 landmark nuclear agreement it signed with the P5+1 group of countries.

“The nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the JCPOA are being implemented,” IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said on Monday, Press TV reported.

Amano made the remarks in his opening address to the IAEA's 61st General Conference in Vienna, a week after he told the 35-member Board of Governors that Iran had lived up to its commitments under the JCPOA.

He added that since the 60th General Conference in September 2016, the IAEA had continued to verify and monitor Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal.

“Iran is now subject to the world’s most robust nuclear verification regime,” Amano added.

In his introductory statement to the Board of Governors in Vienna on September 11, the IAEA chief said that since the JCPOA Implementation Day in January 2016, the agency had been verifying and monitoring Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the nuclear deal.

He emphasized that the UN nuclear agency would continue to verify the non-diversion of nuclear material declared by Iran under its Safeguards Agreement, adding, “Evaluations regarding the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran remain ongoing.”

Speaking to reporters in New York on Monday ahead of the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian staunchly defended the JCPOA, stressing the importance of sustaining the deal.

“It is essential to maintain it [the JCPOA]," said Le Drian, whose country is a signatory to the nuclear agreement.

The French foreign minister also spoke about the possibility of holding talks to "complement" the agreement, adding, “Even ... we could complement the accord for after 2025.”

SS