United Nations nuke agency: Iran’s role in nuclear probe meets standards

IAEA director-general Yukiya Amano said Iran had handed over environmental samples from the Parchin military site, which he was able to visit on Sunday. But IAEA chief Yukiya Amano told reporters that Iranians carried out that part of the probe at Parchin, where the agency suspects that explosive triggers for nuclear weapons might have been tested.

Mr. Amano also said the building he inspected at Parchin on Sunday showed no evidence of recent renovation work and no equipment in the building.

Amano left Tehran while he was satisfied (with his trip), the Iranian nuclear chief noted, expressing the hope that past and previous issues about Iran’s nuclear energy program would be concluded by the end of the year.

Iran has increased funding to terror groups Hezbollah and Hamas in the wake of the nuclear agreement brokered with world powers in July. Samples are taken “under redundant continuous surveillance”, he said, adding that camera systems, geographic coordinates and IAEA seals are all used to ensure authenticity. Iran maintains its program is for peaceful purposes only, but until now, had repeatedly rejected IAEA requests to visit the site.

Amano reiterated that Iranian work at the Parchin site since 2012 has undermined the agency’s ability to “conduct effective verification”.

The examination of Parchin is part of an inquiry by the worldwide Atomic Energy Agency into Iran’s past nuclear activity.

In a 2006 report, the IAEA said its inspectors “did not observe any unusual activities in the buildings visited, and the results of the analysis of environmental samples did not indicate the presence of nuclear material”.

Mr Rouhani also said Iran was committed to voluntary implementation of an additional protocol under which the IAEA is granted access and information about states’ nuclear sites.

The White House says it is not obligated to release details of the IAEA’s agreements with Iran, which under the agency’s usual practices must remain secret.

The Iranian president says his country’s military is the most reliable force to take on “terrorists in the region” – a reference to the extremist Islamic State group.

The IAEA has drawn criticism over a confidential arrangement with Iran governing how inspections are done at Parchin.

“Yesterday was an important day in the process of the settlement of Iran’s nuclear issue and thanks God, the fictions made by ill-wishers against our country about Parchin military site were revealed”, according to Hamid Baeidinejad of Iran’s Foreign Ministry. He did not explain exactly how the samples were collected, but said “the Iranian side played a part in the sample-taking process by swiping samples”.

A special Iranian parliamentary committee is reviewing the deal to prepare a report for lawmakers.