TEHRAN(Bazaar) – Professor Frank N. von Hippel, former assistant director for national security in the White House Office of Science and Technology, says dealing with the PMD loose ends with regard to Iran’s pre-2003 nuclear activities are urgent but I think the IAEA will insist on keeping the issue open.
He adds “The priority should be on returning to the JCPOA.”
Following is the text of the Bazaar interview with Professor Frank N. von Hippel.
Bazaar: IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, will travel to Iran on Saturday. It seems that the fate of the JCPOA is tied to this trip. What is the significance of this trip?
Frank von Hippel: My guess is that he wants to have his own understanding of what will happen if Iran agrees to come back into compliance with the JCPOA.
Bazaar: According to the news broadcast by some reporters from Vienna, the text of the final agreement has been written and the only remaining issue is how the safeguard agreement between Iran and the IAEA will be. Accordingly, Iran has demanded the closure of the PMD case. However, the IAEA does not want to close it, and according to new documents, it will open the case, like the documents that Netanyahu provided to the IAEA. How will this go?
Frank von Hippel: I don’t think that dealing with these loose ends with regard to Iran’s pre-2003 nuclear activities is urgent but I think the IAEA will insist on keeping the issue open.
Bazaar: If the PMD case is not closed, the IAEA may refer Iran’s nuclear file to the Board of Governors and the UN Security Council following possible new documents. Do you think the agency will keep that leverage?
Frank von Hippel: That is in theory a possibility, but it is hard for me to imagine the IAEA doing anything like that in the near term. The priority should be on returning to the JCPOA.
Bazaar: If the agreement with Iran is announced, what effects will it have on energy prices? Prices that have risen sharply in the wake of the Ukraine crisis and put the Western economy at risk?
Frank von Hippel: It would certainly help if Iran was able to sell more oil into the global market
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