IAEA Ends Investigation Into Iran’s Past Nuclear Ambitions

The IAEA produced a report this month that strongly suggested Iran had a secret nuclear weapons programme up until 2003, though it found no sign of weapons-related activities beyond 2009.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the United Nations nuclear agency’s decision to close the books on a decade-long probe of allegations that Tehran worked on nuclear weapons is a “big success”. Most sanctions against Iran are due to be lifted, and previous resolutions shelved, as the nuclear agreement reached in July with worldwide powers is put into effect.

A resolution was approved by consensus of the 35-nation board of the IAEA even though director Yukiya Amano told the board his investigation couldn’t “reconstruct all the details of activities conducted by Iran in the past”. Tehran denies ever seeking nuclear arms.

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

After a 12-year investigation of Iran’s suspected nuclear plans, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) made a decision to close the process in light of the historic nuclear deal.

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”.

Inspections: International monitors will be able to carry out a comprehensive programme of inspection of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Once the deal is implemented, most US, United Nations and European Union economic and financial sanctions would be suspended, including Europe’s embargo on Iranian energy.

Iranian FM stated that the resolution closes the fabricated problem of so-called possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program and “the PMD case is now part of history”.

While ballistic missile tests may violate U.N. Security Council sanctions, some diplomats note that such launches are not a violation of the nuclear deal. In terms of ongoing IAEA reports, the Iran file will change from a nuclear proliferation case to updates on the July deal as soon as Tehran has fulfilled its promises, which it expects to have done in January, allowing for sanctions relief.

With the IAEA resolution, one of the major barriers for the implementation of the JCPOA, reached on July 14 in the Austrian capital of Vienna, was removed, he said.

He said the agency still need weeks to verify Iran’s implementation of Tehran’s relevant commitment under the deal after Tehran finishes the work.

They expected that the IAEA report, created under the deal, would draw a line under the long-contested issue of so called “potential military measurements” to Iran’s activities.