Iranian report leak reveals lack of confidentiality in IAEA — Russian envoy

World June 06, 2020, 5:33

The report was intended for states members of the IAEA Board of Governors

VIENNA, June 5. /TASS/. The Western media's publication of a confidential report on nuclear inspections in Iran reveals that the regime of confidentiality is no longer working in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Russia’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail UIyanov, said on Friday.

According to the Russian envoy, the report was intended for states members of the IAEA Board of Governors. However, minutes after being handed over to them, the report leaked to Western news agencies, which published excerpts from it.

"This means that the regime of confidentiality in the agency’s work is absolutely not working," Ulyanov said.

Earlier on Friday, Western news agencies published a confidential IAEA report on nuclear inspections in Iran. According to an AFP article, Iran’s enriched uranium stockpiles were almost eight times the limit permitted by the 2015 nuclear deal. The IAEA also expressed its ‘serious concern’ over Iran’s failure to permit experts to two facilities where undeclared nuclear materials could be stored. According to Reuters, the report contains a call to Iran "immediately to cooperate fully with the agency, including by providing prompt access to the locations specified."

On March 3, 2020, Western media also released a similar confidential report on Iran, with similar conclusions.

Iran nuclear deal issue

In 2015, Iran and six major powers (five member states of the United Nations Security Council - Russia, the United States, France, the United Kingdom and China - and Germany) agreed on the final Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which particularly stipulated the removal of sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program.

On May 8, 2018, US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. He said that old sanctions on Iran would be restored and new ones would be introduced in case Tehran attempted to pursue its nuclear ambitions. In contrast, the United Kingdom, Germany and France called on other participants in the deal to continue fulfilling it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow would seek to maintain the agreement.

However, Tehran believes that other signatories, primarily EU countries, failed to fulfill their economic obligations under the deal, making it irrelevant. In this regard, Iran began to reduce its commitments under the agreement.

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