IAEA Board of Governors Meeting
10 March 2020
Statement by HE Mr Richard Sadleir, Resident Representative of Australia to the IAEA
Agenda Item 5: Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 (2015)
Chair,
Australia thanks the Director General for his 3 March report on verification and monitoring in Iran, which provides a comprehensive update on Iran’s implementation of nuclear related obligations under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
We also thank the Secretariat for the informal technical briefing provided on 5 March.
Chair,
Australia remains deeply concerned by the many steps Iran has taken to wind back compliance with the JCPOA, most recently its 5 January announcement that the Iranian Government will no longer be constrained by any of the limits set by the JCPOA.
We have said many times that we find Iran’s reduction in compliance on the basis of ‘less-for-less’ to be unacceptable.
It is therefore a matter of deep regret that, instead of returning to full compliance at the urging of the international community, Iran’s steps away from the JCPOA have only extended further.
We are particularly concerned that Iran’s expansion of research and development capability, beyond the limits of the JCPOA, has continued, bringing with it irreversible implications.
Chair,
Australia remains of the view that the JCPOA can continue to serve the international community’s interests.
But for this objective to be realised, Iran must recommit itself to the terms of the deal, return to compliance, and engage in constructive diplomatic dialogue.
In light of this, Australia again strongly urges Iran to reverse its actions and to return immediately to full compliance with all of its obligations under the JCPOA.
Chair,
Australia recognises the efforts of France, Germany and the United Kingdom to preserve the JCPOA and provide an avenue for ongoing dialogue by referring Iran’s non-compliance to the Joint Commission, under the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM).
We call upon Iran to refrain from any further actions that might jeopardise these efforts, and encourage Iran to engage constructively in the DRM with a view to preserving the JCPOA and its important non-proliferation benefits. We would like to underline that the provisional application by Iran of its Additional Protocol with the IAEA, in accordance with the terms of the deal, remains fundamental to Australia’s ongoing support for the JCPOA.
Chair,
We take note of ongoing interactions between Iran and the Agency in relation to natural uranium particles of anthropogenic origin detected in Iran. We urge Iran to provide timely and full responses to questions put to it by the Agency.
Finally, Australia expresses strong support for the Agency’s work on monitoring and verification in Iran and for its ongoing judgement on reporting to the Board of Governors.
We thank the Agency and its staff for their sustained courage, rigour, professionalism, and independence.
Thank you.