New Technological Developments and its Impact on Verification of Iranian Nuclear Activities

It is more than seven years that Iranian nuclear activities are subject to most severe and robust verification system and its obligation according to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). This verification system based on Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement focuses on verification of declared activities by countries. The main pillar of the system is surveillance and inspection of nuclear material. Complicated mechanisms of verification of nuclear accounting, establishment of record system for nuclear material, precise reporting system of country members about the amount of import and export of nuclear material, presenting design information and authenticating the presented information by the Agency, based on inspections and visits, are in effect. The efficiency of any of these mechanisms depends on optimal use of its specific techniques, tools and equipments. This article examines the direct and indirect impacts of the new technological development on techniques, tools and equipments used in the process of verification of Iranian nuclear material and activities and the author reaches to this conclusion that the new technological developments have both directly and indirectly caused the evolution in verification system mechanisms and providing the new grounds and tools has caused the evolution of effective implementation of Safeguards Agreement, in a way that this country is put in a situation that accepted more severe surveillance and inspection activities, beyond its initial legal obligations.