July 22, 2016
Fifteen US Senate Democrats are urging President Obama to press the IAEA to provide more detail in its quarterly reports on Iran’s nuclear program.
All 15 are supporters of the deal. They are responding to complaints from such analysts as the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS), which has complained that the IAEA reports have gotten shorter and been more cryptic since the nuclear agreement was signed between the Big Six and Iran.
There is a suspicion that the IAEA is responding to frequent public gripes by Iran that the IAEA reveals too much about Iran’s nuclear program in its quarterly reports.
The letter from the 15 Democratic senators doesn’t accept those complaints and seeks more transparency from the inspectors, the newspaper Politico reported last week.
Led by Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, the Democrats are asking Obama to use the federal government to push the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to publish more details to enable independent verification that Iran is following the terms of the deal.
The IAEA has found that Iran is in compliance with the deal, but the IAEA is not fully disclosing the number of centrifuges Iran is using to enrich uranium or the amount of enriched uranium Iran has on hand, the Democrats said,
“In addition to lacking vital information on the status of Iran’s uranium stock and enrichment capabilities, the report leaves out vital details on Iranian facilities. The report does not comment on the progress made in transitioning Fordo to a research facility or provide updates on the redesign of the Arak heavy water research reactor. This data is critical for ensuring the ability to independently verify Iran’s compliance,” the letter says.
“Providing additional situational awareness of Iran’s nuclear program is vital for the long-term health of this agreement,” the letter continues. “We urge your administration to ensure that the IAEA releases all relevant technical information so that we may continue to make our own judgments about the status of Iran’s nuclear program.”
In addition to Peters, the letter was signed by Sens. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Chris Coons of Delaware, Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, Jon Tester of Montana, Mark Warner of Virginia, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon.
