“As of today, I can state that Iran is
implementing its nuclear-related commitments,”
he said in his introductory
statement to the Board of Governors,
one of the two policy-making bodies of the
Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA).
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
– reached by Iran, China, France, Germany,
Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States
and the European Union – sets out rigorous
mechanisms for monitoring limits on
Iran’s nuclear programme, while paving the way
for lifting UN sanctions against the country,
and “represents a significant gain for
verification,” he added.
Mr. Amano said that it is essential for Iran to
continues fully implementing those commitments.
“If the JCPOA were to fail, it would be a great
loss for nuclear verification and for
multilateralism,” he warned.
He said IAEA inspectors had had access to all
the sites and locations which they needed to
visit.
At a news
conference later in the day, Mr. Amano
gave more details of the Agency’s activities in
Iran.
“Our inspection work has doubled since 2013.
IAEA inspectors now spend 3,000 calendar days
per year on the ground in Iran,” he told
reporters in the Austrian capital.
He said IAEA has installed some 2,000
tamper-proof seals on nuclear material and
equipment, collected and analysed hundreds of
thousands of images captured daily by its
sophisticated surveillance cameras in Iran.
He also said “the most important event” in the
IAEA calendar this year is Ministerial
Conference on Nuclear Science and
Technology, which will take place in Vienna
from November 28 to 30.
The conference will bring together ministers,
technical experts and many others to consider
how countries can make optimal use of nuclear
science and technology in achieving their
development goals.
The IAEA contributes directly to the
achievement of nine of the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals as nuclear science
and technology can help countries to produce
more food, generate more electricity, treat
diseases such as cancer, manage their water
supplies, and respond to climate change.
Mr. Amano’s full remarks to the Board of
Governors, here.
