An International Atomic Energy Association Thursday report certifying Iran’s technical compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal overlooks the country’s pursuit of ballistic missiles and other malevolent behavior, United Against A Nuclear Iran Policy Director Jason Brodsky explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation.
The IAEA quarterly report certified Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal brokered by former President Barack Obama, the Islamic Republic of Iran, along with the other members of the UN Security Council and Germany. The report, however, focuses entirely on the regime’s nuclear activity and may paint an inaccurate picture of Iran’s behavior since signing the deal.
“The IAEA report unfortunately shows a very narrow window into Iran’s compliance,” Brodsky said, adding, “while Iran might be complying with the letter of the JCPOA it’s been routinely violating its spirit, and that’s very problematic.”
Brodsky specifically highlighted UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which “endorsed the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), and lifted some UN sanctions, while maintaining the arms embargo on Iran and ballistic missile restrictions,” the Arms Control Association notes.
Resolution 2231 specifically calls upon Iran not to “undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be nuclear capable.” Brodsky explained that Iran dodges the provisions of 2231 by arguing that its ballistic missile tests are not capable of carrying nuclear weapons — a claim experts dispute.
“Iran’s missile program is widely believed to be a delivery system for nuclear warheads. If Iran were telling the truth, it would be the only nation in history without a nuclear-weapons program that nonetheless developed missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers or more. Iran is not building long-range missiles to carry warheads full of dynamite or to fire monkeys into space,” former CIA analyst Fred Fleitz said in National Review in April 2016.
Iran may also be violating Resolution 2231’s arms embargo based on German intelligence reports. German intelligence issued a July report detailing how Iran allegedly used a Chinese front corporation to procure specialized materials necessary for its ballistic missile program.
Brodsky explained that Iran’s violations of Resolution 2231 may not show explicit Iranian procurement or development of nuclear material It shows a regime that continues to pursue programs that pose a threat to the U.S.
President Donald Trump has similarly argued that Iran is violating the spirit of the 2015 nuclear deal, which he has repeatedly called one of the worst agreements ever acceded to by the U.S. “If it was up to me, I would have had them noncompliant 180 days ago,” Trump defiantly declared in late July.
“They don’t comply. And so we’ll see what happens. I mean, we’ll talk about this subject in 90 days. But, yeah, I would be – I would be surprised if they were in compliance,” the president continued. Trump must again issue a report on Iran’s compliance in late October.
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