In its annual report on global adherence to arms control treaties, the U.S. Department of State has called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to fulfill all its obligations to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) "without denial, deception, and wasting time.”
The report, titled "2020 Adherence to and Compliance with Arms Control, Nonproliferation, and Disarmament Agreements and Commitments (Compliance Report), and published on Tuesday, June 23, insists that the Iran should refrain from obstructing and disrupting the IAEA's operations to verify Iran's nuclear program and to act "responsibly."
The IAEA Board of Governors on June 19 approved a resolution presented by three European countries, urging Tehran to allow IAEA inspectors to visit two "suspicious" locations in Iran. The decision, supported by Washington, and drafted by three European parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, is the first of its kind in the past eight years.
Meanwhile, the State Department has also described Iran's uranium enrichment program as "unacceptable" and a threat to "world peace and security."
The report stresses that the U.S. government remains committed to blocking Iran's path to nuclear weapons and it will not cease monitoring Tehran's missile and conventional weapons capability and gathering information on the hidden dimensions of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program.
The State Department also says that the Iranian government's failure to declare its nuclear program was a flagrant violation of the IAEA's obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
"Iran's efforts to retain files, documents, and personnel related to its pre-2004 nuclear weapons program – as revealed in the atomic archive acquired by Israel in 2018 – suggest that Iran may have maintained this information at least in part to preserve technical expertise relevant to a nuclear weapons capability, and potentially to aid in any future effort to pursue nuclear weapons again if a decision were made to do so," the annual report notes.
"In November 2019, the Acting IAEA Director General (DG) reported the detection by IAEA inspectors of particles of chemically processed uranium at an undeclared location in Iran, and noted that this indicates the possibility of undeclared nuclear material in Iran," the State Department has highlighted.
The report is set to be presented to the U.S. Congress. At the same time, the United Nations Security Council is due to hold the first round of talks on Wednesday on a U.S. proposal to extend an arms embargo on Iran indefinitely. Under the JCPOA, the embargo is set to end on October 18.
Based on the report, the State Department commits itself to Congress to provide the United Nations with details of Iran's violations of Security Council Resolution 2231.
Referring to the launch of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) military satellite into space as a blatant symbol of a violation of U.N. Resolution 2231, the State Department's annual report has emphasized the U.S. government's efforts to extend Iran's arms embargo.
According to Security Council Resolution 2231, the Iranian government does not have the right to buy and sell weapons until October 18.
The U.S. government is vehemently against lifting Iran's arms embargo and intends to extend it indefinitely.
The United States circulated a draft resolution on the measure to the 15-member council on Monday, diplomats said, but council veto-powers Russia and China have already signaled their opposition to the move, Reuters reported on Tuesday, adding, "The U.S. draft would ban the sale, supply or transfer of arms or related materiel by Iran and prohibits countries from selling, supplying or transferring arms or related materiel unless approved by a Security Council committee."
Furthermore, the draft requires countries to inspect cargo in their territory if they have reasonable grounds to believe the consignment contains banned items. It also calls on countries to inspect vessels on the high seas - with the consent of the flag state - for the same reason.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on June 10 that the Islamic Republic "anticipates" Russia and China, as "two friendly countries" of the Islamic Republic, to stand up against the extension of Tehran's arms embargo under U.S. pressure in the Security Council.
Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, has repeatedly declared that exerting maximum pressure on the Islamic Republic will continue until Tehran agrees to negotiate for a "more comprehensive" nuclear deal with Washington.
