TEHRAN – Mikhail Ulyanov, Russia’s permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, has said the discussion of verification in Iran at the November session of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)’s Board of Governors was relatively quiet, without anyone trying to aggravate the situation.

“The discussion of verification in #Iran at November session of #IAEA BoG was relatively quiet. Many expressed concerns about deviations of Tehran from ^#JCPOA requirements, but nobody tried to aggravate the situation,” Ulyanov wrote in a tweet on Saturday.

“Looks like states want to see how events will develop in 2021,” the Russian diplomat noted.

A meeting of the 35-nation Board of Governors was held on Friday. 

During the meeting, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's ambassador and permanent representative to the Vienna-based international organizations, said the IAEA director general’s new report on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) illustrates the body’s ability to verify Iran's commitments under the deal and its utmost level of cooperation with the Agency.

“The Reports on this agenda item during the past five years have an identical paragraph which, regardless of the differences among the JCPOA participants on the level of implementation of the reciprocal commitments, is a good testament of the level of cooperation between Iran and the Agency,” Gharibabadi said.

He said the director general’s report confirm that “since 16 January 2016 (JCPOA Implementation Day), the Agency has verified and monitored Iran’s implementation of its nuclear-related commitments in accordance with the modalities set out in the JCPOA…”

“It means that the Agency was even able to verify and monitor the steps taken by Iran in accordance with paragraphs 26 and 36 of the Deal. The reports even confirm that the Agency has not observed any change in the level of cooperation by Iran and despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Agency has continued to maintain its smooth verification and monitoring activities in Iran,” the Iranian envoy added.

In another tweet on Saturday, Ulyanov said the United States proudly states that the “maximum pressure” campaign had a devastating effect on Iranian economy.

“But this is one side of the coin. The other side- humanitarian sufferings, weakened non-proliferation regime and total failure of the declared goals (Pompeo’s 12 demands),” he explained.

Earlier, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy had said that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has made 12 demands of Iran as part of a campaign to put maximum pressure, while not a single case has been met.

Iran signed a nuclear deal with six world powers, including the U.S., the UK, France, Russia, China, and Germany, in July 2015 which was ditched by U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 in pursuit of a “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran.

Trump’s withdrawal came while Iran was in full compliance with the treaty. All other parties to the deal have repeatedly criticized the Trump administration’s policy toward Iran.

MH/PA