US secretary of state says agreement will not fixate on any past activities that have been stopped
- Iran will not be required to disclose suspected past efforts to develop nuclear weapons
- Disclosure of weapons programmes had been demanded as part of the obligations Tehran must meet to clinch the nuclear agreement
- Iran will face inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency under the conditions of the proposed deal
US Secretary of State John Kerry has conceded that Iran will not be required to disclose suspected past efforts to develop nuclear weapons in order to meet the criteria for sanctions relief.
In comments made to reporters on 16 June by a remote video from Boston, the foreign affairs head downplayed what had been a long-standing demand from diplomats in the P5+1 group of world powers.
We are not fixated on Iran specifically accounting for what they did at one point in time or another, Kerry said.
Its critical to us to know that going forward, those activities have been stopped, and that we can account for that in a legitimate way. That clearly is one of the requirements in our judgment for what has to be achieved in order to have a legitimate agreement.
The disclosure of weapons programmes had been demanded as part of the obligations Tehran must meet to clinch the nuclear agreement set for 30 June.
Iran will face inspection by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) under the conditions of the proposed deal, which will see the government relieved of economic sanctions against its banks and energy sector.
A framework agreement was reached in Lausanne, Switzerland, on 3 April between Iran and six world powers the US, France, Germany, the UK, China and Russia.
Many Iranians hope this is the first step towards their country re-engaging with the world, following several rounds of sanctions backed by the UN, the EU and the US, which have left the domestic banking and energy industries isolated.
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