by Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
"If the Iran nuclear deal is to have any meaning, the parties must have a common understanding of its terms. Without inspections, the Iran deal is an empty promise," Nikki Haley says.
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U.S. Ambassador to
the United Nations Nikki Haley
Photo: Reuters
U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley on Thursday slammed a bid
by Russia to shield Iran from inspections by the United Nations nuclear
watchdog relating to a specific section of a landmark 2015 deal
restricting Tehran's nuclear activities.
Iran agreed to the nuclear deal with six
major powers in exchange for the lifting of sanctions. Compliance with
the nuclear restrictions is being verified by the Vienna-based
International Atomic Energy Agency.
Haley has infuriated Iran by saying the
IAEA should widen inspections to include military sites, but diplomats
say Russia has been trying to restrict the agency's role by arguing it
has no authority to police a broadly worded section of the deal.
"If the Iran nuclear deal is to have any
meaning, the parties must have a common understanding of its terms,"
Haley said in a statement. "It appears that some countries are
attempting to shield Iran from even more inspections. Without
inspections, the Iran deal is an empty promise."
Haley issued the statement in response to
IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano telling Reuters that major powers
needed to clarify the disputed section of the deal, which relates to
technology that could be used to develop an atom bomb.
That section bans "activities which could
contribute to the development of a nuclear explosive device." It lists
examples such as using computer models that simulate a nuclear bomb or
designing multipoint, explosive detonation systems.
Unlike many other parts of the deal, the
provision, known as Section T, makes no mention of the IAEA or specifics
of how it will be verified. Russia says that means the IAEA has no
authority over it. Western powers and the agency disagree.
U.S. President Donald Trump has called the
Iran nuclear deal - reached by predecessor Barack Obama – "an
embarrassment to the United States."
Trump has hinted that he may not recertify
the agreement when it comes up for review by a mid-October deadline, in
which case the U.S. Congress would have 60 days to decide whether to
reimpose sanctions waived under the accord, known officially as the
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2017/09/29/us-envoy-slams-russia-for-bid-to-shield-iran-from-iaea-inspections/
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