Iranian Nuclear Moves Do Not Fall Within IAEA Board’s Authority

Washington has called an emergency meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors to discuss Iran after it surpassed one of the limits set in its 2015 agreement with world powers, Reuters reported. 

The agency confirmed in a note to member states that the meeting will be held on July 10 after it said Iran exceeded the maximum stock of enriched uranium allowed under the deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran also acknowledged that it had gone beyond the 300-kilogram restriction, according to Financial Tribune.

In a series of tweets, Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in Vienna, Austria, said, "The fact that the US, as the prime violator of the JCPOA, has tabled this request, indicates its isolation in contradicting multilateralism and rule of law in international affairs."

It noted the "sad irony" of the situation wherein the same government, which violated the accord by withdrawing "illegally and unilaterally" from the accord, is expressing concern over the implementation of the same deal. 

The mission lamented the fact that the US has been pushing others to follow suit, thereby hampering the implementation of the deal by the international community by exerting every means of coercion.  

Iran has said it will ease the deal's nuclear restrictions one by one in retaliation to crippling economic sanctions Washington has imposed on it since the US withdrawal. It has said that as of July 7, it will enrich uranium beyond the 3.67% purity cap imposed by the pact.

Restoring Lost Balance 

"Iran's recent decisions, which are exercised in response to the situation caused by the US, including by imposing sanctions on all who want to implement their commitments under the JCPOA, tend to bring about the lost balance of the deal and are fully in line [with] its provisions," the mission said. 

"Furthermore, the recent developments have no connection to safeguards-related issues and the mandate of the Board of Governors. Issues related to the implementation of the JCPOA will be deliberated in its prescribed mechanisms." 

Parties to the deal have a separate forum called the Joint Commission where they meet, and the deal has laid out possible actions that can be taken there. Washington pulled out of both the deal and the Joint Commission last year. 

IAEA is in charge of verifying the restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities imposed by the deal, which also lifted international sanctions against Tehran. The IAEA has repeatedly said it is up to the parties to the deal to decide whether there has been a breach of its terms.

Other signatories to the 2015 deal, apart from Iran and the United States, are Russia, China, France, Britain and Germany. Those five countries are trying to keep the deal alive.

Not a "Proper" Place 

Russia's ambassador to international organizations in Vienna, Mikhail Ulyanov, said in a tweet on Friday that an IAEA board meeting is not a proper place to consider the latest developments. 

"A member of IAEA Board of Governors asked for an urgent session on Iran next week. OK, but what the Board is going to discuss? Iranian deviations from JCPOA? From the viewpoint of IAEA mandate, they don't constitute violation or concern. BG is not a proper place to consider them." 

"Intl. relations are full of surprises which contradict common sense," he said. "US withdrew from JCPOA and tries to ruin it completely in violation of intl. law."