Jewish Groups Deplore IAEA Vote Amid Iranian Violations
American Jewish groups on Tuesday deplored the recent vote by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board to close the file on the possible military dimensions (PMD) of Iran’s nuclear program.
Earlier Tuesday, the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation board in Vienna closed its investigation into whether Iran sought atomic weapons, opting to back the international accord with Iran in July.
“This decision to whitewash the past represents an inauspicious beginning to the implementation process of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA),” AIPAC said in a statement. “For over a decade, Iran has repeatedly withheld critical information from the IAEA and has lied by consistently denying nuclear weaponization work in the face of solid evidence to the contrary. Tehran has continued this practice even after accepting the JCPOA last July.”
The largest pro-Israel lobby warned, “Without a complete understanding of Iran’s past nuclear weaponization efforts, the IAEA will lack a sufficient baseline to create an effective inspections and verification regime capable of assuring Iranian compliance with the JCPOA.”
AIPAC also called on the U.S. Administration to demand that the IAEA examines any new evidence of Iranian violations and responds forcefully to any such violations following and that the agency exercise maximum vigilance for Iranian compliance with the deal.
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations also released a statement expressing their dismay at the IAEA vote. “This action by the IAEA board will compromise future inspection regimes and increases the likelihood of Iran’s continuing deceptions and clandestine advances of its nuclear weapons program,” Stephen Greenberg, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents, said in a joint statement. “This decision will weaken the IAEA’s credibility and effectiveness moving forward. Additionally, without the full assessment of how advanced Iran’s nuclear program is, the IAEA will be unable to establish a baseline to measure future advances and to construct an effective verification and inspection regime.”
The international community has an obligation to hold Iran to its commitments. What incentives will there be for future compliance if they see that stonewalling, deception, and threats, allow them to undermine and negate the provisions of the JCPOA. The United States and its allies should insist that the IAEA examine all evidence pertaining to Iranian violations and should respond forcefully to any violations,” they added.
It was also reported that the UN has concluded that Iran’s medium-range Emad rocket test on October 10th, capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, was indeed a violation of a the body’s Security Council resolution. “On the basis of its analysis and findings the Panel concludes that Emad launch is a violation by Iran of paragraph 9 of Security Council Resolution 1929,” the council’s Panel of Experts on Iran said in its report, according to Reuters. “The Panel assesses that the launch of the Emad has a range of not less than 1,000 km with a payload of at least 1,000 kg and that Emad was also a launch ‘using ballistic missile technology,'” the report said.
“The continued pattern of violations and obstruction does not bode well for its adherence to the nuclear agreement,” AIPAC, which campaigned strongly against the Iran deal, said in a news release. “The United States should demand that the IAEA examines any new evidence of Iranian violations and that the agency exercises maximum vigilance for Iranian compliance with the JCPOA. In addition, the United States should not hesitate to respond forcefully to any Iranian JCPOA violations.”
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) slammed the Obama Administration for not expressing concern at the Iranian ballistic missile test. “This only confirms our original suspicions at the time of the nuclear deal that 1. Iran would not meet its obligations, limited as these are under the deal; and 2. that her violations would be ignored, as the desire in the West to maintain the deal would prove paramount,” said Morton Klein, ZOA’s national president.
Congressman Dan Donovan (R-NY) said in a statement, “I’ve said from the beginning that Iran cannot be trusted to honor the spirit and letter of this agreement and other United Nations resolutions. American power cannot be taken seriously if Iran’s actions – coming on the heels of signing an international agreement – go unpunished. I hope the President leads in levying stringent consequences. The United States should delay further implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action until the United Nations formally investigates both the October and November launches. It is clear that Iran does not intend to abide by the agreement and cannot operate in good faith.”
“Releasing billions of dollars in sanctions relief to a rogue regime should certainly be off the table,” he added.