What's behind IAEA's change in reporting?
While critics complain that they are getting less information from the IAEA about Iran’s nuclear program after implementation of the JCPOA, a US official told Al-Monitor, “We get what we need.”
Since the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued its first report on Iranian compliance with the landmark nuclear deal, some US nuclear experts, including a former IAEA deputy director, have chafed at the minimal level of detail provided about Iran’s nuclear program.
Where in the past IAEA quarterly communications to its Board of Governors often contained a litany of questions about Iran’s activities, including statistics on every gram of enriched uranium and centrifuge rotor in Iran’s possession, the new report offers much less information and is a largely upbeat assessment of Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which went into full implementation on Jan. 16.
The minimal level of detail contained in the document, which was leaked on the day it was issued by Washington-based think tank the Institute for Science and International Security, does not mean that the signatories to the JCPOA are kept in the dark about any potential violation. Indeed, members of a joint commission set up to ensure proper implementation of the deal have timely access to information about any potential violations on either side.
Asked by Al-Monitor whether the US government gets all the information it needs, a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, replied, “Do we get what we need is a very emphatic yes.”
