The United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency urged the P5+1 – which consists out of the United States, Russia, China, France, Britain plus Germany – to clarify a section of their nuclear deal with Iran, about technology that could be used to develop a nuclear weapon, an area that Russia demanded the agency must leave alone. IAEA Secretary General Yukiya Amano asserted, “Definition of the technology isn’t given. Any clarification is helpful. More clarification would be helpful. I understand that some discussions are ongoing, but Russia has a different view. They believe that it is not the mandate of the IAEA. And some others have different views, and discussions are ongoing,” Amano said.
The 2015 nuclear agreement, which was signed between the P5+1 and Iran, restricts the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in exchange for crippling sanctions relief – restrictions that are being policed by the IAEA, which is the UN’s nuclear watchdog. While US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has infuriated the Islamic Republic by saying the IAEA should widen its inspections to include military sites, diplomats say Russia has been trying to restrict the agency’s role, arguing it has no authority to police a broadly worded section of the deal. That section bans “activities which could contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device”, listing examples such as using computer models simulating a nuclear bomb or designing multi-point explosive detonation systems. Unlike many other parts of the deal, the provision, known as Section T, makes no mention of the IAEA or specifics of how it will be verified – a fact Amano admitted limited his agency’s tools when it came to verifying Section T. Amano said, “Our tools are limited. If we talk about Section T and such – because Section T does not have any mechanism that is open and you can see it, it doesn’t have anything. I hope that the members of the joint commission will have more discussions on this issue.”
With all its flaws, the IAEA Director General continues defending the nuclear deal as a major step forward, while declining to comment specifically on criticism leveled at his agency by Washington regarding its apparent limitations.