Azerbaijan, Baku, Nov. 15 /Trend T.Konyayeva/
Any steps, which Iran might take to reduce the level of cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), would violate its basic commitments under the Subsidiary Arrangements and lead to inevitable consequences, Professor Reza Taghizadeh, a member of the Trend Expert Council, said.
"The level of cooperation between Iran and IAEA has been reduced to the lowest possible level gradually, since 2010," Taghizadeh wrote Trend in an email. "Whatever the new measures that Iran would consider to take, in order to reduce the level of cooperation with IAEA, could go again against all its basic obligations towards the provisions agreed in Subsidiary Arrangements."
During last two days, the Iranian Parliament's top officials warned that Iranian MPs might call for revision of Iran's cooperation with the IAEA which they accused of being deviated from its commitments and following certain political inclinations.
The claims followed IAEA General Director Yukiya Amano's report issued on Nov. 8 which reads that the "information indicates Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of nuclear explosive devices."
Taghizadeh stressed that based on Article 39 of the Iranian NPT Safeguards Agreement, Subsidiary Arrangements cannot be modified unilaterally.
"There is no other ways foreseen in the agreement to allow the suspension of provisions agreed to in Subsidiary Arrangements either," he said.
However, Taghizadeh thinks that the IAEA by going far beyond the already reduced level of cooperation could practically pave the way for Tehran to get out of the NPT altogether.
"This is neither Iran's official policy, nor such a risk what Iran could afford to take at this moment, knowing the dire consequences that could follow," he added.
The basic obligations of Iran on security measures were outlined in its Safeguards Agreement, which was ratified by the Iranian parliament and entered into force in May 1974.
Like all other members, Iran agreed in 2003 to a number of amendments in the Safeguards Agreement, without asking the Iranian Parliament to ratify them.
Since February 2003, Iran has been bound by the provisions of the Additional Protocol to the NPT and Code 3.1 in version 1976 of the Subsidiary Arrangements, to report on new facilities to the Agency as soon as the decision about its construction was made.
By signing the Additional Protocol, Iran voluntarily announced about the suspension of uranium. However, it returned to this activity.
In March 2007, however, the Iranian Government, on the advice of the parliament, unilaterally suspended its obligations towards Additional Protocol agreements and implementation of the modified Code 3.1.