IAEA concluded investigation of Iran’s Nuclear Programme

Amano emphasized that his latest report entitled Final Assessment on Past and Present Outstanding Issues regarding Iran’s Nuclear Program was “factual, technically sound and balanced”. Chief Iranian delegate Reza Najafi denied such work, in line with his country’s constant line throughout the protracted probe.

While the launches may have violated U.N. Security Council sanctions, they did not violate the nuclear deal, diplomats noted.

Once the deal takes effect, Iran will still be “called upon” not to undertake any ballistic missiles work created to deliver nuclear weapons for a period of up to eight years, according to a Security Council resolution adopted in July right after the nuclear deal. “Nor has the agency found any credible indications of the diversion of nuclear material in connection with the possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme”, said Yukiya Amani, Director General of the IAEA.

“The IAEA is closing this file even after discovering further suspicious evidence and experiencing additional Iranian obstinacy”, the group said in a statement.

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

The finding from the panel could trigger moves to impose sanctions on Iran, although such a decision would require agreement from China and Russian Federation. It said the Ghadr-1 was an advanced version of Iran’s Shabab-3 ballistic missile system and the re-entry vehicle had a guidance system and steerable fins.

“I suspect that Iran is conducting these tests now to underline that point and assert their right to continue testing ballistic missiles”.

Israel on Tuesday warned “serious doubts” still surround Iran’s nuclear programme, after the United Nations atomic watchdog’s board chose to end a probe into Tehran’s past efforts to develop nuclear weapons.

“On the basis of its analysis and finding, the panel concludes that Emad launch is a violation by Iran of paragraph 9 of Security Council resolution 1929”, the 11-page report said.

U.S. IAEA delegate Henry S. Ensher said the agency could again be called upon to investigate Iran, noting that the closure of the investigation doesn’t prevent following up on “any new concerns regarding weaponization”. Iran’s Minister of Defense Hussien Dehghan also explicitly briefed the Iranian media on development of the homegrown weapon. Tehran launched the Emad rocket on October 10 – the first test-firing of a ballistic surface-to-surface missile after Iran reached a major nuclear deal with six world powers on July 14.

“We intend to keep working with council members so as to acknowledge and respond appropriately to this serious incident”, she said, adding that there had been other similar violations by Iran recently.

The JCPOA will see sanctions lifted over a series of years in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear programme.