IAEA: Iran implemented all practical measures as planned

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Monday that Iran has implemented all the practical measures that had been agreed upon, helping the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to “gain a better understanding” of its nuclear programme.

Addressing the IAEA’s quarterly meeting for its 35-nation board of governors, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano delivered an upbeat assessment about the nuclear talks, praising Iran’s cooperation under a step-by-step “Framework for Cooperation”.

Al-Alam Online news website quoted Amano as saying that, “I welcome the fact that the practical measures agreed upon with Iran … have been implemented by Iran as planned.”

However, Amano also stressed that the IAEA “is not yet in a position to provide credible assurances about the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran, and therefore to conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is for peaceful activities.”

He reminded the board of governors that Iran agreed to implement five additional practical measures on 20 May. “The agency will provide its assessment in due course, after acquiring a good understanding of the whole picture,” Amano said.