US accuses Iran of violating the nuclear deal

For the first time since the signing of the historic nuclear deal, the US accused Iran of violating the terms of the agreement yesterday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is policing the deal, said that Iran has exceeded, for the second time this year, the limit on its stock of sensitive nuclear material, and this risks undermining support for the agreement.

The victory of Republican Donald Trump, who is a vocal critic of the deal, in the US presidential election also raised questions of whether America would continue to support the deal restricting Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of sanctions imposed on it.

US Ambassador to the IAEA, Laura Holgate, said in a statement during the agency’s quarterly Board of Governors meeting: “Iran must strictly adhere to all commitments and technical measures for their duration.”

The dispute revolves around the part of the deal between Tehran and six major powers that limits Iran’s stock of heavy water, a material used as a moderator in reactors like the reactor it has at Arak that has been put out of use.

In contrast to strict limits on other nuclear materials elsewhere in the deal, such as enriched uranium, the text of the deal said that Iran must not have more heavy water than it needs, adding that those needs are estimated to be 130 tonnes.

“We note with concern Iran’s accumulation of heavy water in excess of the limit set forth in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) of 130 metric tonnes,” Holgate said.

The IAEA said Iran was preparing to ship heavy water out of the country in order to be under the 130 tonne limit, but Holgate said Iran would not be in compliance until the water is delivered to a foreign buyer, as the deal requires.

“Simply notifying states that this heavy water is for sale without removing it from Iran does not fulfil this JCPOA commitment,” she added.

Iran said the issue was not that clear-cut.

Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, told reporters on the sidelines of the board meeting, “Where is the limit?” He added that his country is preparing to export over five tonnes of heavy water it originally informed the IAEA of.

He also said: “The JCPOA is very clear. It says that the needs of Iran are estimated [to be] 130 tonnes. Who is the native English speaker to tell me what estimated means?”