UN Authority Figures

UN Disarmament Commission Executive Board: Iran

Iran exceeded a soft limit on sensitive material set under its nuclear deal with major powers, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. It is the second time Tehran has surpassed the 130 metric tonne threshold for heavy water, a material used as a moderator in reactors like Iran's unfinished one at Arak, since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) was put in place in January 2016. Source: Reuters, November 9, 2016

Mission of the UN Disarmament Commission: "In 1978, the first special session of the General Assembly devoted to disarmament established a...Disarmament Commission (UNDC) as a subsidiary organ of the Assembly, composed of all Member States of the United Nations. It was created as a deliberative body, with the function of considering and making recommendations on various issues in the field of disarmament and of following up on the relevant decisions and recommendations of the special session. It reports annually to the General Assembly." (UN Disarmament Commission website)

Iran's Term of office: 2017

Iran's Record on disarmament:
"A year after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran's nuclear program was announced, Iran unquestionably has gotten the better of the deal. The agreement made public last July in Vienna, and the policy decisions attending its implementation, show a clear pattern of unilateral Iranian demands being met by unforced U.S. concessions. In consequence, Iran's nuclear weapons program and sway in the Middle East will continue to grow, while U.S. deterrence and influence will diminish and the risks of conflict mount... The JCPOA ... allows Iran to steadily ramp up its nuclear program, then promptly expires. It is far from comprehensive, with no real restrictions on delivery vehicles and weaponization activities. New information regularly surfaces about side deals and other additional commitments. There are major verification shortfalls, leaving much of Iran's nuclear program opaque. Sanctions are unlikely to snap back, both because Iran can abrogate the JCPOA if they do, and because the Administration is unraveling the broader sanctions architecture supposedly left in place by the deal. The JCPOA is not a safe alternative to war; in fact, it gives Iran the resources and a green light to step up aggression. Finally, no amount of engagement will make the Iranian regime more cooperative, and hardliners are already exploiting the agreement."
(The Iran Nuclear Deal After One Year: Assessment and Options for the Next President, The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, July 12, 2016)

For more on Iranian nuclear proliferation, see here

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