The UN atomic watchdog has formally closed a long-running investigation of Iran’s past work on warhead design, and pledged its support to helping implement a comprehensive nuclear deal Tehran agreed in July with major powers.
The decision by the 35-nation board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency removes a hurdle to implementation of the July deal, under which Iran accepted strict curbs on its civil nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.
Iranian officials say they believe they can fulfil the country’s other obligations – dismantling uranium enrichment centrifuges, removing the core of a heavy-water reactor and drastically reducing the stockpile of low-enriched uranium – in the next few weeks, opening the way to broad lifting of international sanctions.
Before the resolution was passed, the IAEA director general, Yukiya Amano, summarised the findings of the investigation – that Iran had a concerted weapons design effort up to 2003, and there were some sporadic activities after that.
“The agency has no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009,” Amano said. “Nor has the agency found any credible indications of the diversion of nuclear material in connection with the possible military dimensions to Iran’s nuclear programme.”
The board then ruled that Iran had cooperated with the investigation and that “this closes the board’s consideration of this item”. However, the resolution kept Iran under special scrutiny for any suggestion that nuclear materials were being diverted for weapons use.
“As we close out this important chapter here today, we must remain mindful that we are not closing the agency’s ability to investigate any potential concerns that may arise,” the US envoy to the IAEA, Henry Ensher, told the board.
