The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday welcomed the framework agreement on Iran's nuclear program, in which Iran is set to allow the agency more access to its nuclear sites.
"The IAEA welcomes the announcement by [P5+1] and Iran on the key parameters for a joint Comprehensive Plan of Action," IAEA director general Yukiya Amano said in a statement quoted by Reuters.
"With the endorsement of the IAEA's Board of Governors, the Agency will be ready to fulfill its role in verifying the implementation of nuclear related measures, once the agreement is finalized," he added.
According to the new agreement, which U.S. President Barack Obama hailed as “an historic understanding”, Iran is supposed to be under what was described as “the most robust and intrusive inspections” ever negotiated for any nuclear deal in history.
It should be noted, however, that under the interim agreement reached with Iran in 2013, the Islamic Republic was supposed to - and failed - to provide the IAEA with answers regarding to whether it worked on nuclear arms in the past.
Amano recently said that the IAEA had limited progress in its inquiry into possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear activities.
In February, the IAEA reported little progress in its attempts to probe allegations that Iran worked on nuclear arms. The agency already indicated back in November that Iran is refusing to answer questions on the military aspects of its program.
Meanwhile on Thursday night, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke to Obama and warned him that the framework “would threaten the survival of Israel”.
“This deal would legitimize Iran's nuclear program, bolster Iran's economy, and increase Iran's aggression and terror throughout the Middle East and beyond. Such a deal would not block Iran's path to the bomb. It would pave it,” said Netanyahu.
“It would increase the risks of nuclear proliferation in the region and the risks of a horrific war. The alternative is standing firm and increasing the pressure on Iran until a better deal is achieved," he told Obama.