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.”

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“I don’t see activities that are contrary to the Iran nuclear agreement … but we need to monitor very, very carefully,” Amano said.

Amano added that the agency’s “inspectors have had access to all the sites and locations in Iran which they needed to visit.”

“So far they are implementing” the agreement, Amano stressed.

He also noted that the US is “a very important country, so, of course, it (the US withdrawal) has impact.”

In May 2018, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Elsewhere in the interview, Amano said the additional protocol is, “a powerful verification tool that gives the Agency broader access to information about all parts of a state’s nuclear fuel cycle. It also gives our inspectors greater access to sites and locations, in some cases with as little as two hours’ notice.”

“Not only Saudi Arabia, but I am asking all the countries to implement the additional protocol. This would increase confidence,” Amano underlined.

He further explained that nuclear weapons have become easier to get than ever before.

“In general terms, the technology to develop nuclear weapons is an old one, dating back 70 years, and after that lots of progress has been made in technology,” Amano said. “You can get the information, you can get the material, the education. It’s available.”

He then warned that “the current environment” makes it “easier for countries to proliferate.”

“That is one of the reasons why we have to strengthen our activities to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons and verify that all the material and equipment stay for a peaceful purpose,” he said.

He said that over the last decade North Korea’s “nuclear program has significantly expanded.”

“Over the past year, activities at some facilities continued or developed further,” Amano said.

He emphasized that the IAEA “is the only international organization that can verify and monitor denuclearization in an impartial, independent and objective manner.”

He concluded that the IAEA was ready and able to send a team of inspectors into North Korea “within weeks,” if an agreement were to be reached.

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Salehi had a meeting with IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano in Vienna on Wednesday, on the sidelines of the IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Science and Technology.

In the gathering, the two officials discussed the latest developments surrounding Iran-IAEA cooperation, including the UN agency’s verification of Iran’s commitment to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Hailing the IAEA’s reports that confirm Iran’s compliance with its JCPOA commitments, Salehi said Tehran expects the UN watchdog to keep doing its verification practices in a neutral and professional manner and avoid coming under the influence of those seeking to disrupt Iran-IAEA constructive relations.

For his part, Amano emphasized that his agency has always observed the rules of professional, unbiased and independent activities, stressing that the IAEA notices the facts, not the claims, when it comes to verification.

The Japanese IAEA chief also expressed satisfaction with the status of cooperation with Iran, saying the agency’s principal policy is to keep to the current path.

The IAEA is responsible for monitoring Iran’s nuclear activities as per the nuclear deal and should also help Iran develop its nuclear energy program.

On May 8, US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the JCPOA, which was achieved in Vienna in 2015 after years of negotiations among Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Since the historic deal was signed in Vienna, the IAEA has confirmed the Islamic Republic’s compliance with its commitments in 13 successive reports.

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Tehran continues to fulfill the obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with respect to its nuclear program, said the general director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Yukiya Amano.

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Newly-appointed Iranian envoy Gharibabadi called for closer technical nuclear cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a meeting with the nuclear watchdog chief Yukiya Amano.

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Pillar also says, “The PMD issue always has been one of the issues opponents have liked to raise.  With the Iranians complying with the agreement, according to repeated declarations by the IAEA, the PMD issue will continue to be a popular opposition argument.”

“The IAEA director general is in a delicate position.  He cannot afford to alienate himself from the United States, but he also must maintain the integrity of his own organization and the integrity of its inspections,” Pillar tells the Tehran Times.

Following is the text of the interview:

Q: U.S. delegation in IAEA after recent session in IAEA announced that “We welcome the Director General’s statement that the IAEA continues to evaluate Iran’s declarations under the Additional Protocol, and to conduct complementary access inspections to sites and locations in Iran. Any new and credible concerns of undeclared nuclear activities, including any potential weaponization-related issues, can and must be pursued by the IAEA. According to this, what means “complementary access inspections to sites and locations in Iran”? Is this access beyond the Additional Protocol?

A: The reference is to inspections under the terms of the Additional Protocol.  The surrounding portion of the U.S. statement refers specifically to the Additional Protocol and the standards observed by other nations that have accepted it.  Although much of the opposition to the JCPOA in the United States attempts to confuse people with vague references to “anywhere, anytime” inspections, and the Trump administration has joined in some of this confusion, the U.S. statement at the IAEA meeting appears to be within the bounds of what was agreed to in the JCPOA.

Q: Why U.S. again try to bring up Iran PMD Case in IAEA?

A: Those who tried to kill the JCPOA before it even came into effect have not given up their effort to kill the agreement.  Of course, the opponents now have a U.S. president on their side; Mr. Trump has been outspoken in his opposition to the JCPOA.  The PMD issue always has been one of the issues opponents have liked to raise.  With the Iranians complying with the agreement, according to repeated declarations by the IAEA, the PMD issue will continue to be a popular opposition argument.  It carries the implication that Iran might be doing something questionable in secret, even if the opponents cannot point to any evidence of a violation.

Q: IAEA Director General ask Iran for “more” verification about Section T. It seems that Director General Yukiya Amano’s message is closing to Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the United Nations. What is your opinion?

A: The IAEA director general is in a delicate position.  He cannot afford to alienate himself from the United States, but he also must maintain the integrity of his own organization and the integrity of its inspections.  Vague references asking for more is one way to make noises of the sort that the Trump administration likes to hear, without imperiling the soundness of the IAEA’s exercise of its duties to monitor compliance with specific requirements in the JCPOA.

Q: Iran’s Ambassador to the IAEA Reza Najafi highlighted that “ by limiting Iran’s benefits from the deal the U.S. Government in contradiction with both letter and spirit of the agreement, particularly paragraphs 26, 28 and 29 of the JCPOA, has taken a negative approach to undermine “successful implementation” of the JCPOA.” This statement is while U.S. try to place sanction Iran on the name of Human Rights and terrorism. What will happen for JCPOA if Iran limited from benefiting of the agreement?

A: The JCPOA rests on a basic and well-understood bargain, in which Iran agreed to specified limitations on its nuclear program and additional international monitoring, in return for suspension or elimination of certain economic sanctions that had been imposed in response to Iran’s nuclear activities.  The JCPOA also contains additional obligations for the non-Iran parties not to impede Iran’s normal economic activity in ways that would negate the economic benefits from sanctions relief.  The fulfillment of all obligations in the agreement is essential for the agreement to survive.  Iran cannot be expected to continue meeting its commitments if the United States does not fulfill its own commitments.

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Amano met with US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley in New York on Thursday, where they discussed the UN nuclear watchdog’s verification and monitoring of Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Amano called the JCPOA a significant gain for nuclear verification, and reiterated that Iran is in compliance with the provisions of its nuclear deal with the world powers.

He informed Haley about the IAEA’s strong and effective safeguards activities in Iran.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China – plus Germany signed the nuclear agreement on July 14, 2015 and started implementing it on January 16, 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

The IAEA has repeatedly verified Iran’s adherence to the terms of the JCPOA since January 2016, when the deal took effect.

During his October 29 visit to Tehran, Amano also stressed the importance of full implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related JCPOA commitments.

Amano is in the United States for meetings and speeches in Washington, New York and Boston, including his annual address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

Although the IAEA has repeatedly verified Iran’s compliance with the deal, US President Donald Trump delivered an anti-Iran speech on October 13, in which he said he would not continue to certify Iran’s compliance and warned that he might ultimately terminate the agreement.

Trump has now kicked the issue to Congress, which has been given 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions that were lifted under the deal.

Except for the US, the other parties to the accord have all reaffirmed their commitment to it and urged the United States not to back out.

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