Yukiya Amano, who led the International Atomic Energy Agency for a decade and was extensively involved in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, died at the age of 72. He was heavily involved in the years-long negotiations that led to the landmark Iran nuclear deal.

Under the agreement, reached between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries in 2015, Tehran undertook to put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions.

United States President Donald Trump, however, withdrew Washington from the landmark agreement last May and decided to re-impose what it described as the “toughest” sanctions ever against Tehran.

The news of Amano’s death comes at a time of increasing concerns and escalating tensions between US and Iran, with Washington and Tel Aviv having failed to create a crisis in Iran’s cooperation with the UN atomic agency which has repeatedly confirmed the peaceful nature of the country’s nuclear program.

There are some speculations about Mr. Amano’s (head of IAEA) death. Some reports say his death and replacement of him by an American close to Trump administration and Israel is very suspicious and can be interpreted in line of Israel and the US efforts to affect IAEA reports on Iran’s nuclear activity.

In this regards, Bangkok- based geopolitical researcher Anthony Cartalucci said in an interview with Mehr News Agency that International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano was advanced in age, so his death was not in and of itself suspicious.

Meanwhile Cartalucci said, “The US and its partners including Israel will undoubtedly attempt to find a replacement that serve their own interests rather than the IAEA’s actual mandate.”

“However, it should be noted that Washington, London, and Brussels’ serial abuse of international institutions like the United Nations and the IAEA have undermined the credibility of both and their efficacy not only to perform their stated missions, but to serve the interests of those trying to abuse them”, he added.

He went on to say, ” finally, it should be warned that Washington has reached a point of desperation in regards to Iran and other nations it sees as a threat to its global primacy”.

Cartalucci added, “Tehran must expect the worst and prepare for it while attempting to maintain diplomatic and strategic patience for as long as possible. Empires do not disappear overnight nor do they usually disappear quietly. The United States and its global network of power and influence is no exception.”

Interview by Payman Yazdani

The post US attempts to find Amano’s replacement to serve its interests: Cartalucci appeared first on Iran News Daily.

On Monday, an IAEA statement said the following: “The secretariat of the International Atomic Energy Agency regrets to inform with deepest sadness of the passing away of Director General Yukiya Amano.”

On July 18, he died at age-72 after heading the organization since 2009, no cause of death explained. Was it natural or otherwise? More on this below.

It’s believed Amano intended to step down before his third term expired in November 2021.

Reportedly he had health issues from an unspecified illness. Last September, the IAEA said he’d undergone an unexplained medical procedure, no further elaboration given about his health status.

His death came at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the West because of Trump regime-led hostility toward the country.

During his tenure, he oversaw the landmark JCPOA nuclear deal’s adoption by its signatories and Security Council members, making it binding international law.

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi paid tribute to Amano following his death, saying:

“My deep condolences…We worked very closely” during JCPOA negotiations. “I commend his skillful and professional performance (that) resulted in complete closure. May the Almighty bless his soul.”

Vladimir Putin said he “always admired his wisdom and foresight – his ability to make informed decisions in the most difficult circumstances.”

It’s unclear who’ll succeed him. Deputy Director General Mary Alice Hayward is serving as acting IAEA chief in the interim.

Since Security Council Resolution 2231 adopted the JCPOA, the IAEA affirmed Iran’s full compliance with its provisions 15 consecutive times.

No nation is more intensively monitored none more scrupulously in compliance with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provisions and its other nuclear obligations.

Last October, in response to Israel’s Netanyahu falsely claiming Iran seeks nuclear weapons, citing a (nonexistent) “secret atomic warehouse” in his UN General Assembly address, Amano refuted the accusation, saying:

“The agency sends inspectors to sites and locations only when needed. The agency uses all safeguards relevant to information available to it but it does not take (so-called intelligence) at face value.”

Without mentioning Israel or Netanyahu by name, Amano added that “(a)ll information obtained, including from third parties, is subject to rigorous review and assessed together with other available information to arrive at an independent assessment based on the agency’s own expertise.”

“In order to maintain credibility, the agency’s independence in relation to the implementation of verification activities is of paramount importance.”

Following Trump’s unlawful JCPOA pullout in May 2018, a week’s later IAEA June 8-dated quarterly report said the following:

“Since 16 January 2016 (JCPOA Implementation Day), the Agency has verified and monitored Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments in accordance with the modalities set out in the JCPOA, consistent with the Agency’s standard safeguards practices, and in an impartial and objective manner.”

“The Agency reports the following for the period since the issuance of the Director General’s previous quarterly report.”

“Iran has continued to permit the Agency to use on-line enrichment monitors and electronic seals which communicate their status within nuclear sites to Agency inspectors, and to facilitate the automated collection of Agency measurement recordings registered by installed measurement devices.”

The report, others preceding and following it, found Iran in full compliance with its JCPOA obligations, stating:

“Iran is implementing its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.”

That status has not changed to this day. The Arms Control Association affirmed Iran’s compliance with Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and JCPOA provisions.

Based on Iran’s fulfillment of its NPT and JCPOA obligations, no justification exists for imposing nuclear related sanctions on the country — by the Security Council, the only body authorized to impose them, not individual nations on their own.

Unilaterally imposed US sanctions on Iran and other nations constitute economic terrorism. They breach UN Charter Article 41, stating:

The Security Council is empowered to decide what actions may be used to enforce international law — including “complete or partial interruption of economic relations and severance of diplomatic relations,” other than use of military force.

When Article 41 steps don’t work, Article 42 authorizes Security Council members to “take such action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore international peace and security” — by use of “demonstrations, blockade,” or military intervention.

The Security Council alone may authorize going this far — not presidents, prime ministers, lawmakers, or judicial bodies of member states.

The post Was foul play behind IAEA Chief Yukiya Amano’s death? appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The IAEA has also published the latest reflections of the deceased chief as he expressed wish last week to step down the following year.

“During the past decade, the Agency delivered concrete results to achieve the objective of “Atoms for Peace and Development”, thanks to the support of Member States and the dedication of Agency staff. I am very proud of our achievements, and grateful to Member States and Agency staff.”

Mr Amano has frequently stressed that his agency’s work is more technical than political.

Yukiya Amano was born in Yugawara, Japan in 1947. After graduating from the Tokyo University Faculty of Law, he joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1972 and worked there until 2005, when he joined the IAEA as Japan’s Resident Representative to the Agency.

Mr Amano assumed the office of the IAEA chief in 2009 after defeating South African representative Abdul Samad Minty following six-round voting.

He had extensive experience in disarmament and non-proliferation diplomacy, as well as nuclear energy issues.

The post IAEA chief Yukiya Amano dies at 72 appeared first on Iran News Daily.

In a separate message, Iran’s permanent envoy to Vienna-based international organizations, Kazem Gharibabadi, expressed his deep sorrow for Amano’s demise.

“With deep sorrow, I was informed of the demise of Mr. Yukiya Amano. His service to the international community is widely and highly acknowledged and appreciated. This is indeed a great loss for the international community,” he tweeted. “His key role in enhancing the objectives of the IAEA will never fade away in the history of the Agency. I would like to express my sincere condolences and sympathy to his family, friends, and the staff of the IAEA as well as to the people and Government of Japan.”

In a Monday statement published on its website, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that its director-general Yukiya Amano has passed away.

Last week, Reuters cited sources that Yukiya Amano would leave his post in March 2020 due to health issues.

Yukiya Amano was born in Yugawara, Japan in 1947. After graduating from the Tokyo University Faculty of Law, he joined the Japanese Foreign Ministry in 1972 and worked there until 2005, when he joined the IAEA as Japan’s Resident Representative to the Agency.

The post Deputy FM offers condolence on Amano’s demise appeared first on Iran News Daily.

During the meeting, Dehghani added that the IAEA’s responsibility in the current situation is to act comprehensively while reporting the facts, and assess all angles of the issue without prejudgment.

For his part, Amano deemed the Iran nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an important achievement in nuclear verification.

On May 8, exactly a year after the US pulled out from the JCPOA, Iran revealed countermeasures to US’ withdrawal, giving the other remaining parties to the JCPOA 60 days to comply with their commitments, particularly those regarding Iran’s economic interests in the banking and energy sectors, before reducing portions of its own commitments to the agreement stage by stage.

Iran has stressed that it has no intention to leave the JCPOA, and its decision on reducing commitments is still within the framework of the agreement, as confirmed by the latest report by the IAEA.

The post Reversibility of Iran’s JCPOA measures depends on others: official appeared first on Iran News Daily.

All of the other parties to the agreement hammered out by former US President Barack Obama; Iran, Russia, China, France, Germany, Britain and the European Union, are still trying to stick to the deal.

Under the 2015 deal, Iran agreed to limit its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. The IAEA has said consistently since the agreement was reached that Iran continues to abide by it, and he confirmed on Tuesday to CBS News that the agency’s “inspectors have had access to all the sites and locations in Iran which they needed to visit.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Amano stressed that in his regular reports to the board, he had stated that “Iran is implementing those commitments.”

“Since January 2016, the agency [IAEA] has been verifying and monitoring Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA,” he added.

Amano further noted that IAEA inspectors have full access to all locations required to verify the deal’s implementation.

United States President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the landmark agreement last May and decided to re-impose what it described as the “toughest” sanctions ever against Tehran. The sanctions targeted Iran’s banking and energy sectors with the aim of cutting off the country’s oil sales and crucial exports.

Despite Washington’s measures, Iran has not left the deal, stressing that the remaining signatories to the agreement have to work to offset the negative impacts of the US pullout for Iran if they want Tehran to remain committed to it.

The post IAEA chief reaffirms Iran’s compliance with nuclear deal commitments appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“Our patience, however, is running thin,” warned the top Iranian diplomat.

Director General of The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano said on Monday that Tehran is implementing all its commitments under JCPOA.

IAEA has always endorsed Iran’s adherence to its commitments after the inking of JCPOA in 2015, however, Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal and re-imposed harsh sanctions against the Iranian nation in May 2018.

Other signatories of the deal have vowed to keep it alive. After months of delay, European signatories, i.e. Germany, UK, and France established a financial mechanism dubbed as INSTEX (Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges) to facilitate trade ties with Iran and ditch US sanctions, however, the channel is yet to prove its true effectiveness. Meanwhile, Iran calls for the adoption of more practical measures by JCPOA signatories to safeguard Tehran’s interest.

The post Iran’s patience running thin over JCPOA signatories’ breach of promise: Zarif warns appeared first on Iran News Daily.