IAEA Closes File On Iran, Clears Nuclear Program Of Suspicion

Moreover, the United Nations atomic watchdog’s board Tuesday drew a line under a long-running probe into Iran’s past efforts to develop nuclear weapons, removing an important obstacle to implementing July’s landmark deal with big powers.

Iran took a crucial step towards ending its confrontation with the West on Tuesday when America and its allies agreed to close an inquiry into the “possible military dimension” of Tehran’s nuclear programme.

He added: “The agency has no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009”.

The IAEA keeps close tabs on Iran’s nuclear programme, and its inspections role is set to grow under July’s hard-fought deal, which defused a standoff dating back to 2002.

The resolution, which was adopted in 2010, stipulates that Tehran can not “undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including launches using ballistic missile technology”.

The Chinese delegate to the United Nations nuclear agency has responded to the resolution, saying it could facilitate the launch of the agreement that Iran has reached with the P5 plus 1 countries.

Iran expects the global and Western sanctions against the country to be lifted in January, Rouhani said.

The White House said it would not rule out additional steps against Iran over the test of the medium-range Emad rocket. The relief is conditioned in part on IAEA certification that Iran is fulfilling its commitments under the agreement.

For more than a decade, Iran has faced sanctions, suspicions and accusations it was secretly trying to build a nuclear bomb.

The report on the missile launch, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, said the ballistic missile, dubbed Emad, was an improved version of Iran’s previous missiles, with a range of up to 1,300 kilometers (800 miles), a payload of up to 1,400 kilograms (1.5 tons), and better maneuvering capability when descending on a target.

“I expect that Iran’s missile program will spur its neighbors to expand their own missile programs; in fact I believe they have already begun to do so”.

The US ambassador Samantha Power has accused some unnamed council members of refusing to take action against Iran for sanctions violations in recent months but said the United States would keep pressing for enforcement.

Iran has always insisted that the goal of its nuclear program was peaceful and that it has no intention of developing nuclear weapons.

Iran’s defence minister called Emad a “conventional missile” reiterating that the army would not accept “any restrictions on its missile programme”.

IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said it appeared Iran was moving “at quite high speed” to put all the measures in place, but the agency would need weeks after Iran had finished to verify that it had done everything required of it.