US Urges Iran for Timely, Complete Compliance With IAEA Safeguards Obligations
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st September, 2020) US Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette has reiterated on Monday the United States' concerns about the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran, calling upon the latter to ramp up its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and compliance with the nuclear non-proliferation safeguards obligations.
Brouillette delivered the remarks in a video address to the 64th IAEA annual General Conference in Vienna.
"I want to reaffirm that the United States remains committed to addressing the threats posed by the nuclear programs of both North Korea and Iran. On top of its horrific record as the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran has a lamentable history of providing only grudging, dilatory and incomplete cooperation, if at all, with the IAEA. Iran must do more, much more to ensure both timely and complete compliance with the safeguards obligations," Brouillette said.
Regarding North Korea, the official said Washington was remaining ready to "make progress toward the final, fully verified denuclearization" of Pyongyang.
"We urge the DPRK to join us in the negotiations toward this objective, thereby ensuring a brighter future for the North Korean people," Brouillette added.
Iran signed an agreement with the IAEA to grant the agency the right to conduct inspections aimed at ensuring that its nuclear activities were transparent and non-military. The agreement, known as the Agreement for the Application of Safeguards in Connection with the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons or simply the Safeguards Agreement, acquired an Additional Protocol to it in 2016, broadening the IAEA's access rights on the heels of the 2015 international nuclear deal.
A controversy was sparked earlier this year around Tehran's denial of access to two previously unchecked nuclear facilities. On August 26, the IAEA said the controversy had been resolved and Iran voluntarily provided access to the two restricted sites.