New York (ABC Live): JCPOA Norms : Iran has removed excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant in line with its nuclear-related commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
The JCPOA Norms required Iran, within one year from Implementation Day, to complete the removal of all excess centrifuges and infrastructure from the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant and to transfer them to storage at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Plant under continuous Agency monitoring.
The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano confirms that “on 15 January 2017, the Agency verified that Iran has taken these actions related to Fordow” and that “Iran has carried out these steps within the timeframe stipulated under the JCPOA.”
On 14 July 2015, China, France, Germany, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (E3/EU+3) and Iran agreed on the JCPOA Norms. On 20 July 2015, the Security Council adopted resolution 2231 (2015), in which, inter alia, it requested the Director General to “undertake the necessary verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments for the full duration of those commitments under the JCPOA”.
In August 2015, the Board of Governors authorized the Director General to implement the necessary verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments as set out in the JCPOA Norms, and report accordingly, for the full duration of those commitments in light of Security Council resolution 2231 (2015), subject to the availability of funds and consistent with the Agency’s standard safeguards practices. The Board of Governors also authorized the Agency to consult and exchange information with the Joint Commission, as set out in GOV/2015/53 and Corr.
The estimated annual cost to the Agency for the implementation of Iran’s Additional Protocol and for verifying and monitoring Iran’s nuclear-related commitments as set out in the JCPOA Norms is €9.2 million per annum, all of which is provided from extrabudgetary funds in 2016. As of 1 November 2016, the total amount that has been made available to the Agency for the implementation of the Additional Protocol and for verification and monitoring in relation to the JCPOA was €11.0 million, including the unspent balance of the funds for Joint Plan of Action (JPA) activities.
