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Tehran

The United Nations nuclear watchdog agency, the International Atomic Energy Agency, has confirmed that Iran has remained compliant with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement signed in July 2015.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said in prepared remarks at a conference in Rome on Monday, “I can state that the nuclear-related commitments undertaken by Iran under the [JCPOA] are being implemented.”

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Tehran’s stock of low-enriched uranium did not exceed the agreed limit of 300 kg (661 lb), according to an IAEA report released last month.

Iran “has not pursued the construction of the Arak . . . reactor” the agency reported, saying Tehran has not enriched uranium above low purity levels. Arak could have provided weapons-grade plutonium, had the reactor been completed.

The next certification date for Congress requiring the president to document Iran’s compliance with the deal – which comes up every 90 days – is October 15. If President Donald Trump does not certify Iran’s compliance, Congress has 60 days to decide whether to reimpose sanctions that were rolled back under the agreement.

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly told her Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, on Monday that the nuclear deal with Iran is vital for the security of the Middle East.

Netanyahu is among the most vocal opponents of the deal on the international stage, having stated bluntly at the UN General Assembly last month, “fix it, or nix it.” Netanyahu told the world body that the “sunset clause” written into the deal will allow Iran to produce “as many nuclear weapons as they like as soon as the deal expires.”

The prime minister warned the world what would happen when that time arrives.

“When that sunset comes, a dark shadow will be cast over the entire Middle East and the world, because Iran will then be free to enrich uranium on an industrial scale, placing it on the threshold of a massive arsenal of nuclear weapons,” he said. “Change it or cancel it,” he said. “Fix it or nix it.”

Nevertheless, a spokesperson at No. 10 Downing said Britain’s May told Netanyahu the UK “remains firmly committed to the deal and that we believe it is vitally important for regional security.

The Prime Minister said it was important that the deal is carefully monitored and properly enforced, and that both sides deliver on their commitments,” the spokesperson said. The international community must be “clear-eyed about the threat that Iran poses to the Gulf and the wider Middle East, and that the international community should continue working together to push back against Iran’s destabilizing regional activity.”

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Hana Levi Julian is a Middle East news analyst with a degree in Mass Communication and Journalism from Southern Connecticut State University. A past columnist with The Jewish Press and senior editor at Arutz 7, Ms. Julian has written for Babble.com, Chabad.org and other media outlets, in addition to her years working in broadcast journalism.