Daily Times

VIENNA – The UN atomic watchdog chief on Tuesday sought to ease concerns in the US about its investigation into Iran’s alleged past nuclear activities following July’s landmark deal with major powers.

“The arrangements made with Iran are technically sound and consistent with IAEA safeguards practices. They do not compromise our standards in any way,” International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said at a meeting in Vienna.

Under the July 14 agreement aimed at ending a 13-year standoff, Iran will dramatically reduce in scale its nuclear activities in order to make any dash to produce atomic weapons all but impossible. It will be up to the IAEA, which already has up to 10 inspectors in Iran every day, to verify that Iran sticks to its commitments and does not divert material to any covert nuclear weapons drive.

This will require additional material and personnel, and Amano on Monday called on member states to provide an additional 9.2 million euros ($10.6 million) in annual funding. The IAEA also wants to investigate allegations that at least until 2003 Iran conducted research into developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran denies.

On the same day as Iran’s deal with the six powers, it also signed with the IAEA a separate “road map” deal aimed at closing for good the thorny “possible military dimensions” file by the end of the year. Iran provided to the IAEA on August 15 “explanations in writing, and related documents” which the watchdog will review by September 15.

Follow-up meetings and inspections have to be done by October 15 and Amano will issue a final report by December 15. However, details of how this investigation will work, as well as a separate agreement regarding the Parchin military base where explosives testing allegedly took place, are confidential.