BICOM

The Trump administration has told Israel it will pressure the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to investigate Iranian nuclear secrets exposed by Israel earlier this year.

Israel’s Channel 10 News reported yesterday that US Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, visited Israel two weeks ago for talks about Iranian forces in Syria, US sanctions on Iran and the status of the Iranian nuclear program. Israeli officials said the IAEA was “dragging its feet” investigating Israeli intelligence reports and not taking them seriously. Hook said the US would urge the IAEA to investigate. He added that America’s new ambassador to the IAEA, Jackie Wolcott would: “Work aggressively to make sure the IAEA seriously addresses all information provided by Israel, the US and other countries regarding the Iranian nuclear program.”

In April 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Mossad agents stole 55,000 files on 183 CDs, containing Iranian nuclear archives and plans for a nuclear weapons programme. Netanyahu said the documents contained “new and conclusive proof of the secret nuclear weapons program that Iran has been hiding for years from the international community.”

Israeli officials said they hope the renewed US pressure will change the dynamics in the IAEA and potentially lead to the IAEA reopening its investigation into the military dimensions of the Iranian nuclear program. That investigation was closed when the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the JCPOA, was signed in 2015.