Deepika Saraswat replies: In March 2022, Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1) agreed on the broad outline to revive the Iran nuclear deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, talks were stalled as a result of a last minute demand by Russia for written guarantees from Washington that the sanctions imposed on it over the Ukraine crisis will not harm its economic and military-technical cooperation with Iran.
Complete demilitarisation is essential to assure the full safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant complex, despite the significant safety design features of the facility.
India concluded a fresh safeguards agreement (INFCIRC/754) with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2009. All aspects of safeguards measures including the items to be safeguarded were deliberated upon, to ensure that India’s safeguards agreement does not result in giving any flexibility to India to use safeguarded items for unsafeguarded activities. The safeguards agreement INFCIRC/754 came with many additional features. Some of them are a result of the IAEA’s efforts to bring uniformity to subsidiary arrangements and structure and format for reporting requirements.
S. Samuel C. Rajiv replies:India decided to place 14 out of 22 thermal power reactors under the IAEA safeguards, as indicated in the ‘Separation Plan’ issued in March 2006, as part of its commitments under the Indo-US nuclear deal of July 2005. One of these 14 reactors, the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit-I (RAPS-1), is under extended shut-down for techno-economic assessment.
While Iran and its European interlocutors (along with Russia and China) can be expected to mount a tough challenge to continue to make the JCPOA work in the light of Trump’s May 8 decision to ‘withdraw’ from the agreement, it remains to be seen to what extent they can succeed.
Three issues of contention have animated the debate about the role of the IAEA vis-à-vis the JCPOA. These relate to resolving concerns relating to PMD, those governing ‘anytime, anywhere access’, and the IAEA’s ability to ensure Iran’s compliance with the JCPOA.
This article examines Iranian contentions on three issue areas that exemplify the politicised nature of its interactions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). These include access to military facilities, information credibility and the ‘nuclear activism’ of US-based non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
After wining the elections, Hassan Rouhani has insisted that Iran is ‘ready to show more transparency’ over its nuclear programme, but has also affirmed that it has ‘inalienable rights’ to enrich uranium as a member of the NPT.
China and Pakistan reached a formal agreement in February 2013 to construct a third nuclear reactor in Chashma. This has caused widespread nervousness while making the NSG look weak-kneed.
Safety Systems of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Plants Complex
Complete demilitarisation is essential to assure the full safety of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant complex, despite the significant safety design features of the facility.