UN chief strongly hopes ‘breakthrough’ accord on Iran's nuclear programme remains in place

“The Secretary-General has repeatedly said that the adoption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was a very important breakthrough to consolidate nuclear non-proliferation and advance global peace and security,” said Stéphane Dujarric in a statement, adding that the UN chief “strongly hopes that it will remain in place.”

Endorsed unanimously by the UN Security Council in 2015, the JCPOA between its five permanent members (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States), plus Germany, the European Union (EU) and Iran, set out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring limits on Iran's nuclear programme, while paving the way for lifting UN sanctions against the country.

According to news reportS President Donald Trump earlier on Friday said that he would decline to recertify Iran's compliance with the accord.

In related news Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a statement saying that the IAEA, a specialized agency of the UN, has been, since 2016, verifying and monitoring Iran's implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA, as requested by the UN Security Council and authorized by the IAEA's Board of Governors.

“As I have reported to the Board of Governors, the nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the JCPOA are being implemented,” he said, explaining that Iran is now provisionally implementing the Additional Protocol to its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, a powerful verification tool which gives our inspectors broader access to information and locations in Iran.

“So far, the IAEA has had access to all locations it needed to visit,” said Mr Amano, adding: “At present, Iran is subject to the world's most robust nuclear verification regime.”

UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré (file)

 

Source: www.justearthnews.com