Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 4
4
Paragraph: 22
Annex I, Section Q, paragraph 78 of the JCPOA does not set out a definitive...
Conclusion
Annex I, Section Q, paragraph 78 of the JCPOA does not set out a definitive timetable for action in a potential period between non-compliance with the Joint Commission and the snapback of sanctions. This lack of clarity has proved contentious. Clarifying this section of the agreement would help to satisfy all parties that impediments to the IAEA’s access can be addressed within defined and reasonable parameter and could also serve as a useful confidence building measure.
Paragraph Reference:
22
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Annex I, Section Q, paragraph 78 of the JCPoA sets out the timelines for resolving JCPoA access issues between Iran and the IAEA as follows: if Iran and the IAEA cannot resolve an access issue, it should be referred to the Joint Commission within 14 days of the IAEA’s original request for access; Joint Commission consultation should not exceed 7 days; and Iran should implement agreed access measures within 3 additional days. We note the committee’s view that the timelines for resolving IAEA access issues set out in this paragraph are not clear. Iran’s continued non-compliance with its commitments under the JCPoA is deeply concerning and seriously undermines the non-proliferation benefits of the agreement. That is why the UK, France and Germany initiated the agreement’s Dispute Resolution Mechanism, set out in paragraph 36 of the JCPoA, on 14 January 2020 as one of the last tools within the terms of the JCPoA to preserve the agreement and bring Iran back into compliance. The E3 have pressed these concerns in Joint Commission and ministerial meetings in 2020, and urge Iran to seriously engage on a roadmap back to compliance in early 2021.