IAEA Board of Governors Meeting
Statement by HE Dr Brendon Hammer, Resident Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Agenda Item 2 (Iran): Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015)
10 July 2019
Chair,
Australia thanks the Director General for his 1 July and 8 July reports regarding Iran’s performance in relation to its obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and we thank the Secretariat for the informal technical briefing provided earlier today.
We also wish to register that we think it appropriate that this Special Session of the Board of Governors has been convened.
Chair,
The JCPOA serves the international community’s interests in nuclear non-proliferation – and reinforces a rules based international system – by implementing a peacefully negotiated and mutually agreed arrangement.
Preserving the Plan of Action is in the interests of Iran, the region and of the international community as a whole.
Chair,
As Australia is not a participant in the JCPOA, we look with confidence to the JCPOA parties to consider and address the current situation.
We will not pre-empt this work, and we will await the outcome of the deliberations of JCPOA parties.
However, we remain very clear in our view that Iran must remain in full compliance with the JCPOA.
Chair,
Australia is deeply concerned by Iran’s breach of the JCPOA’s low enriched uranium stockpile cap, as verified by the Director General’s report of 1 July, and Iran’s exceeding the level of enrichment it has agreed under the JCPOA, as verified by the Director General’s report of 8 July.
We call upon Iran to reverse this situation by reducing its low enriched uranium holdings below the 300kg limit, refraining from further enriching above the 3.67 percent limit and urgently returning to full compliance with all of its obligations under the JCPOA.
Chair,
Recent Iranian announcements which advise that further reductions in its JCPOA compliance are planned every 60 days only add to our concerns.
We urge Iran not to pursue this course of action.
We underline the need for frank and constructive dialogue between the parties to the JCPOA in the interests of our collective peace and security, and we call upon Iran to refrain from any further actions which might jeopardise the JCPOA, compromise the Plan’s contribution to nuclear non-proliferation or further escalate international tensions.
Chair,
I would like to emphasise that the International Atomic Energy Agency’s verification and monitoring activities in Iran are fundamental to Australia’s support for the JCPOA.
Australia values the rigour, professionalism, consistency and independence that the Agency continues to bring to this role.
Thank you.