June 29, 2020
consortiumnews.com

The Escalating Crisis Over Iran's Nuclear Inspections

An IAEA resolution based on questionable Israeli intelligence has sparked a crisis with Iran that could spin out of control

by Scott Ritter

The current crisis over Iran's nuclear program was triggered by the IAEA Board of Governors, which on June 19 passed a resolution expressing its "serious concern" over Iran's refusal to provide "access to the Agency under the Additional Protocol to two locations." . . .

When the Trump administration, acting on President Trump's belief that the JCPOA was a "bad agreement," withdrew from the JCPOA and began re-imposing U.S. economic sanctions, which had been lifted under the terms of the deal, Iran indicated that it would reconsider its participation.

For the time being, Iran continued to abide by its obligations under the deal, accepting European Union and the other JCPOA nations' guarantees that regardless of what the U.S. did vis-a-vis sanctions, the other nations would not follow suit, and thereby fulfill their commitments to Iran under the terms of the JCPOA.

A year after the U.S. withdrawal from the deal, however, Europe collectively reneged on that commitment, succumbing to the threat of U.S. secondary sanctions, which threatened any European business that engaged in commerce with Iran.

In response, Iran invoked Articles 26 and 36 of the JCPOA. Article 26 holds that if new nuclear-related sanctions are imposed on Iran by any party to the deal it will constitute "grounds (for its authorities) to cease performing its commitments under this JCPOA in whole or in part." . . .

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Non-Proliferation Treaty (July 1, 1968)
- Forbids the five member states with nuclear weapons from transferring them to any other state
- Forbids member states without nuclear weapons from developing or aquiring them
- Provides assurance through the application of international safeguards that peaceful nuclear energy in NNWS will not be diverted to nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices
- Facilitates access to peaceful uses of nuclear energy for all NNWS under international safeguards
- Commits all member states to pursue good faith negotiations toward ending the nuclear arms race and achieving nuclear disarmament.

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"U.N. Agency: 30 Countries Could Soon Have Nuclear Weapons," Fox News, October 16, 2006

Gordon Prather, "The U.S. Is Violating the NPT -- Not Iran," Antiwar.com, September 26, 2009

Enver Masud, "Fact Check: IAEA Report on Iran's Nuclear Program," The Wisdom Fund, November 11, 2011

"Neocons, Netanyahu Pushing U.S. Into War With Iran, Russia," The Wisdom Fund, March 15, 2017