US Has Hit a Wall in Anti-Iran Push

The Trump Administration has been engaged in an anti-Iran diplomatic push abroad since withdrawing from the P5+1 nuclear deal, but seems to be hitting a major wall in that push at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in charge of enforcing the deal.

In 2015, the P5+1 deal was reached, and the IAEA closed decades of investigations into Iran’s past nuclear activities. Since US officials are no longer honoring the deal, they want the IAEA to reopen those investigations.

The basis for this are claims from two US-based groups that were always opposed to any deal with Iran, arguing that they have evidence (from Israel) that Iran lied. The hope among US officials is that reopening the probes would further undermine the deal, and might even convince the EU to dishonor the pact as well.

The IAEA didn’t comment specifically on the US push, but appears not to be contemplating any new investigations, or reopening any old ones, reiterating that Iran remains fully compliant with the P5+1 nuclear deal.