| And that’s even before they deigned to look at the documents. |
A front man for the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says in a statement that its board of governors had "declared that its consideration of this issue was closed" after it was presented with a report in December 2015.
The statement comes a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled what he said was new "proof" that Iran’s nuclear weapons program could be reactivated at any time.
Without referring to Netanyahu’s claims directly, the IAEA front man says the agency "evaluates all safeguards-relevant information available to it."
"However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
it is not the practice of the IAEA to publicly discuss issues related to any such information," he added.
Netanyahu said on Monday that he would share the material with other countries and with the IAEA.
| Ynet adds: |
Britain’s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said Netanyahu’s presentation “underlines the importance” of keeping the deal, with its tough constraints on Iran, in place.
“The Iran nuclear deal is not based on trust about Iran’s intentions; rather it is based on tough verification,” he said.
The UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, has said Iran in the early 1990s "may have received design information for a nuclear bomb from a clandestine nuclear supply network." It says Iran also worked in the 2000s on explosive detonators that "have characteristics relevant to a nuclear bomb," as well as done other work, though all that appears to have stopped in 2009.
Responding to Netanyahu’s speech, the IAEA issued a statement Tuesday reaffirming that "the agency had no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear bomb after 2009." The IAEA has repeatedly certified that Iran is in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.
In a "preliminary reaction," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Netanyahu had not provided evidence that Iran is violating the current deal and noted its continued compliance.
Yoel Guzansky, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, an Israeli think tank, said Netanyahu’s message was unlikely to change minds in Washington or Europe.
Although Iran has threatened to withdraw from the deal if the US pulls out, Guzansky said Tehran would likely be more cautious, and much will depend on the reactions of major companies.
"It’s in Iran’s interest to stay in the agreement," he said. "It matters if Renault, Total and other European companies will continue to do business with Iran."