IAEA Chief: Washington Still Contributes to Nuclear Deal

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP
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IAEA Chief: Washington Still Contributes to Nuclear Deal

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP
IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi | Photo: AFP

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi confirmed Sunday that despite Washington’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal, it continues to contribute to the deal by providing financial support to international inspections to verify Iranian activities.

Speaking to dpa in Vienna ahead of his visit to Berlin, where he is set to meet Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and take part in the World Health Summit conference on Monday and Tuesday, Grossi said, “Washington provides us with important contributions that allow us to continue our work,” adding that without these addition funds – from Washington and elsewhere – the IAEA would not be able to resume its operations.

This is the first time Grossi uncovers the financial support offered by the US to inspection operations after Washington’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal two years ago.

Grossi's statement would put pressure on Iran and parties of the Nuclear Deal who earlier refused to recognize Washington’s right to activate the Deal’s mechanisms on the grounds after its withdrawal from the agreement in May 2018.

Last August, the US announced a move known as a “snapback”, which aims to re-establish all sanctions against Iran a month later.

It came as US President Donald Trump’s administration was unable to extend a UN Security Council embargo on conventional weapons being sent to Tehran.

Meanwhile, Grossi expressed the IAEA’s determination to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.

“The sooner we clarify all aspects that the IAEA will review, the better it will be for everyone, starting with Iran,” he said.

Grossi said IAEA inspectors have recently visited two sites in Iran where past nuclear activities may have taken place, adding that results of those visits would be announced in the coming two to four months.



China Holds Sea and Air Combat Drills at Disputed Scarborough Shoal

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard stand alert as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocks their way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Reuters)
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard stand alert as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocks their way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Reuters)
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China Holds Sea and Air Combat Drills at Disputed Scarborough Shoal

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard stand alert as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocks their way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Reuters)
Members of the Philippine Coast Guard stand alert as a Chinese Coast Guard vessel blocks their way to a resupply mission at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, March 5, 2024. (Reuters)

China held sea and air combat drills Wednesday at the disputed Scarborough Shoal, an area of reefs and rocks the Philippines also claims in the South China Sea.

On Sunday, China published new baselines for the shoal including geographic coordinates. A nation’s territorial waters and exclusive economic zone are typically defined as the distance from the baselines.

“This is a patrol and guard activity carried out by the theater troops in accordance with the law," the People's Liberation Army's southern command said in a short statement.

China seized the shoal, which lies west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, in 2012 and has since restricted access to Filipino fishermen there. A 2016 ruling by an international arbitration court found that most Chinese claims in the South China Sea were invalid but Beijing refuses to abide by it.

Tensions between the two countries have been building over their competing claims to Scarborough Shoal and other outcrops in the sea, and clashes have occurred in the disputed waters including the Chinese coast guard firing water cannons at Filipino ships.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed two laws last week reaffirming the extent of his country’s maritime territories and right to resources, including in the South China Sea, in a move that angered China.

China's claims to almost the entire sea overlap with claims by the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and other governments.