IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano met on 18 December with high level officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran during his visit to Tehran, as part of the regular high-level contacts between the Agency and Iran. He held meetings with President Hassan Rouhani, Vice-President and President of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran Ali Akbar Salehi, and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. He also met Chairman Kamal Kharrazi and members of the Strategic Council for Foreign Relations of Iran.

Discussions focused on the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The Director General reiterated that the JCPOA is a net gain from a verification point of view. For the future, DG Amano stressed the vital importance of full implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments in order to make the implementation sustainable.

During his discussion with the AEOI President, the Director General sought clarifications on the announced plans to develop nuclear propulsion for marine vessels. In this context, he underlined the need to meet the relevant requirements of the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and the Additional Protocol to it, as well as the JCPOA.