28 Mar 2024
Sunday 1 December 2019 - 14:22
Story Code : 364560

IAEA's new head says watchdog to take up fair yet stern stance on Iran

Press TV - The next head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says he will adopt a fair yet stern stance on nuclear development, including that of Iran.

Rafael Grossi made the comment during an interview with Japans public broadcaster NHK on Saturday, a month after he managed to secure the necessary two-thirds in a vote by the agencys 35-nation Board of Governors to become the next chief of the nuclear watchdog.

The fifty-eight Argentine diplomat is set to take office as the director general on Tuesday, some four months after his predecessor, Yukiya Amano, died in office.

Grossi said he sought to develop a constructive relationship with Tehran, stressing that the IAEA needed to address the Islamic Republics nuclear development seriously.

His remarks come as IAEA experts regularly inspect Iran's nuclear plants under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, namely the US, France, Britain, Russia and China, plus Germany in 2015.

President Donald Trump, a stern critic of the landmark deal, unilaterally pulled the United States out of the JCPOA in May 2018, and unleashed the toughest ever sanctions against the Islamic Republic in defiance of global criticism in an attempt to strangle the Iranian oil trade.

Despite Washingtons withdrawal, Tehran remained completely compliant with the JCPOA for an entire year as confirmed by the IAEA in several reports, waiting for the co-signatories to fulfill their end of the bargain by offsetting the impacts of the sanctions.

Upon failure of the European parties in doing so, Tehran moved in May 2019 to suspend its commitments under the JCPOA in 60-day stages under Articles 26 and 36 of the accord. So far, Iran has gone through four stages in scaling back the commitments.

Analysts believe that Grossis position on Iran is almost similar to that of the US.

In a press conference following his victory, Grossi had pledged to act independently and neutrally as the new IAEA chief, rejecting possible allegations that he might make decisions under US pressure.

North Koreas nuclear issue

Elsewhere in the interview, Grossi touched on the issue of North Koreas nuclear program.

It has been more than 10 years since IAEA inspectors were expelled from North Korea, currently under harsh US sanctions, he said, hoping that once Washington and Pyongyang reached some form of agreement on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, he would make certain that IAEA inspectors would be able to resume their inspections in the country.

In June 2018, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Trump held their first ever summit in Singapore, where they struck a broadly-worded agreement on working towards the denuclearization. Thedetails of the deal remain to be hammered out.

The pair also had an unsuccessful February meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam.

The diplomatic process, however, reached a dead end as Washington refused to reciprocate a series of measures that Pyongyang took in line withthe agreement, including demolishing at least one nuclear test site and agreeing to allow international inspectors into a missile engine test facility.

Kim has already set the end of 2019 as the deadline for achieving progress in stalled denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington.

Days before the IAEAs vote on electing the new chief, Endo Andri, a Venezuelan national radio correspondent, raised concerns that Grossi might have direct links to the US State Department, which is accused of meddling in favor of Argentinas contender.

Andri also said that an alliance had already been formed in support of Grossi before the IAEAs vote, accusing him of transmitting secret information in telephone conversations with diplomatic representatives of certain member states of the IAEA.

The Venezuelan journalist further noted that Grossi had been approved by Argentinean President Mauricio Macri, who enjoys close ties with the Israeli regime.
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