Reza Najafi, Iran’s ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on Thursday that all parties’ compliance to the 2015 nuclear deal is “crucial” for the agreement to survive.

“As we have stated from the start of negotiations on the JCPOA and then its implementation, reciprocal and full implementation of the measures by all parties, including by E3/EU+3 is the crucial basis of the JCPOA and is the indispensable element of the agreement for its sustainability,” Najafi said at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting.

Following is full text of his address published by IRNA:

At the outset, I would like to express my government’s appreciation to those delegations that either by their presence in our embassy or during this meeting extended their sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims of the sad event of recent earthquake. 

Mr. Chairman,

My delegation once more would like to express its appreciation to the Agency’s Secretariat for its efforts on the monitoring and verification of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in the Islamic Republic of Iran. 

As we have stated from the start of negotiations on the JCPOA and then its implementation, reciprocal and full implementation of the measures by all parties, including by E3/EU+3 is the crucial basis of the JCPOA and is the indispensable element of the agreement for its sustainability. 

For our part, since the Implementation Day, we have honored our commitments under the JCPOA and the Agency’s reports on verification and monitoring of JCPOA in Iran for the ninth time provides clear evidence to such commitment. However, the implementation of the commitments of other sides to the JCPOA, in particular the United States is unacceptable.

Indeed, by limiting Iran’s benefits from the deal the US Government in contradiction with both letter and spirit of the agreement, particularly paragraphs 26, 28 and 29 of the JCPOA, has taken a negative approach to undermine “successful implementation” of the JCPOA. The US non-compliance with its commitments under the JCPOA has not only undermined this international agreement but also has put the US credibility for any international deal under serious question. 

The JCPOA has provided for the full lifting of all UNSC sanctions and all unilateral or multilateral nuclear-related sanctions.

Furthermore, the E3/EU+3 have an unequivocal responsibility to implement the JCPOA “in good faith and in a constructive atmosphere, based on mutual respect, and to refrain from any action inconsistent with the letter, spirit and intent of the JCPOA that would undermine its successful implementation”. The US should comply with all its obligations under the JCPOA which only deals with nuclear issue.

In the recent visit of the Director General to Iran, our authorities at the highest levels stressed that the JCPOA is not a one-sided road and Iran’s implementation of its commitments can continue if all other parties to the JCPOA continue to implement fully and unconditionally their commitments. Anything other than the good faith implementation is contrary to the letter and spirit of the JCPOA.

Mr. Chairman,

We note that recent updated report (GOV/2017/48), once more demonstrates that Iran’s nuclear program continues within the framework of the JCPOA. 

Nonetheless, I would like to reiterate the following points:

1. As stated before, the JCPOA text on heavy water reads that all excess heavy water which is beyond Iran’s needs will be made available for export to the international market based on international prices and delivered to the international buyer for 15 years. That is the only commitment Iran has in this regard. 

2. We would like to stress, once more, that the report should be as concise as possible and stay away from mentioning avoidable detailed information, particularly it should not contain any confidential Safeguards information

3. We would also like to restate our observation on the definition of “stockpile” and its difference with the term “inventory” and recall that this is a matter of our discussion in the Joint Commission.

4. My delegation would like to put on record our strong reservation on some new arbitrary interpretations contrary to the clear text of different sections of Annex I of the JCPOA and the history of negotiations on that. The Agency is not in a position to interpret JCPOA. It is exclusively the duty of Joint Commission to do so by consensus. Thus, para 26 of the report is not factually correct and should be rectified. 

Before concluding, I would like to refer to few delegations that asked again for disclosure of the raw and detailed confidential safeguards information contrary to the BOG approved mandate. Such request implies that the Agency should not be trusted at all and the Agency itself should be verified again independently. My delegation would like to recall that in addition to the provisions of Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and Article 5 of the Additional Protocol for protection of confidential information, the JCPOA clearly requests the Agency “to take every precaution to protect commercial, technological and industrial secrets as well as other confidential information coming to its knowledge”. We strongly oppose the inclusion of confidential safeguard information in the any upcoming report under the pretext of more transparency. 

For the last speaker before me, as usual you heard an irrelevant statement. For the Zionist regime of Israel that conceals its tens of inhumane nuclear warheads, operates un-safeguarded clandestine nuclear facilities at Dimona that has also leaked radioactive materials to the neighborhood causing the spread of cancer disease to innocent people, a regime that made desperately every effort to prevent the JCPOA conclusion, now astonishingly talking about JCPOA implementation concern is ridiculous. This regime with a history full of aggression and occupation has flagrantly violated all 86 resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council in response to its repeated acts of aggression and illegal occupation, as well as its well-documented atrocities, apartheid policies and war crimes against the Palestinian people. This regime cannot create a disguise for its illegitimate nuclear weapon program, which is a real threat to regional and international peace and security.