The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) Board of Governors has convened in the Austrian capital of Vienna to vote on a draft resolution forwarded to it by the P5+1 group of countries on Iran’s nuclear program.
The Tuesday meeting is to be followed by a press conference in which the nuclear agency's Director General Yukiya Amano will announce the session’s outcome.
Iran and the P5+1 – the United States, Britain, France, China, and Russia plus Germany – concluded a nuclear agreement dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in Vienna on July 14. Under the JCPOA, limits are put on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for, among other things, the removal of all nuclear-related economic and financial bans against the Islamic Republic.
The agreement has obliged putting an end to the past and present outstanding issues pertaining to Iran’s nuclear program. As per Article 14 of the JCPOA, the P5+1 has submitted the draft resolution to the Board of Governors for approval, which would seal the case.
During its Tuesday session, the Board of Governors discusses Amano’s final assessment about the outstanding issues before making a final decision on the case.
Prior to the session, the Iranian Ambassador to the IAEA, Reza Najafi read out a statement on the part of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), which is currently being chaired by Iran.
“NAM reiterates its principled position that diplomacy and dialogue are the only way for a long term solution of Iran’s nuclear issue,” he said. “NAM encourages all Member States to contribute positively to that effect.”