“Iran has kept to a nuclear deal it agreed with six world powers last year limiting its stockpiles of substances that could be used to make atomic weapons, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) told French daily Le Monde,” Reuters reported.
With a bang, on October 1, Yukiya Amano, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), uttered the lie of the month of October regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran.
The very idea that Iran has kept to the nuclear “deal” – in reality, it is not a deal but “political commitments” – is ludicrous. That is, unless there are clauses in the deal that allow Iran to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants to. (Which may actually be true – see the exemptions.)
The fact of the matter is there is no way that the IAEA Director can know that Iran kept its commitments to the West. The IAEA, and other international organizations, does not have unrestricted access to Iranian military sites, including Parchin, where Iran would, and probably is, conducting its nuclear weapons development. This was a demand made by the Iranian Theocratic Leader, Ali Khamenei. President Obama caved on this demand, as he normally does when faced with the obduracy of an anti-American thug dictator. Thus, the international community is forced to rely on the quasi-promise of the Iranians that this time, unlike all the other times they so promised but then violated their agreements with the West, the Iranians will keep their “word.”
If Amano really believes that, then there is a bridge in Brooklyn I would like to sell him.
Then again, we know he does not. According to the Reuters article, Amano conceded that Iran has violated the agreement, stating, “there was a small incident in February: the stock of heavy water very slightly exceeded the limit set - 130 tonnes. But we immediately signaled that to Iran, which took all the necessary measures.” Those necessary measures, by the way, involved Iran selling the excess heavy water it was not supposed to produce, for profit, possibly for American dollars that are highly valued for international commerce. This profit is, and will be, very helpful in the war of aggression Iran is currently waging throughout the Middle East.
Iran has also been a frequent violator of the conventional arms ban which is supposedly part of the nuclear commitments. I say supposedly because of the fact that Iran never agreed to adhere to the UN Resolution 2231, which contains the five year conventional arms ban, and implements the JCPOA. Under 2231, prior approval is required by the Security Council for any arms transfer to or from Iran. Nevertheless, Iran has not bothered to seek prior approval for its purchase of $8 billion in weapons from Russia, including the S-300 missile defense system, fighter jets and military helicopters. Iran has not sought prior approval before exporting weapons to Syria and Yemen. The missiles recently fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels at U.S. ships were most likely from Iran.
Even a July 2016 report by the UN admitted that Iranian firms wrongfully participated in a defense trade show in Iraq in March, 2015, in potential violation of the conventional arms ban. Does the IAEA communicate with the UN? Presumably not, based on the Director General’s statement.
There are other probable Iranian violations. German intelligence has noted Iran’s attempts to acquire nuclear technology in Germany at a “quantitatively high level” in 2015. This activity continued throughout 2016, despite the fact that the Islamic Republic allegedly agreed to halt its nuclear weapons program in the Iran nuclear deal.
Also, the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) has learned that Iran made an attempt to purchase tons of controlled carbon fiber. This attempt occurred after the nuclear deal, which it violated.
There is no way to soft pedal any of this. When it comes to his statement on Iran, IAEA Director Yukiya Amano is lying. His lie is defending the biggest lies ever told to the American people about a foreign policy threat, the lies President Obama told the American people (and the world) about his “nuclear deal” that “permanently prohibits Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” with its “24/7 access to Iran’s key nuclear facilities,” and was the only alternative to war.
These lies have empowered and emboldened a dangerous regime in Iran. These lies have led to increasing violence and death in the Middle East. And these lies may even lead to nuclear war.
Adam Turner is the General Counsel at the Endowment for Middle East Truth (EMET).