Iran abiding by nuke deal terms: UN

Iran is sticking to the terms of its nuclear deal with world powers, a UN atomic watchdog report showed yesterday, despite ongoing uncertainty over its future.

The report from the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that Iran was still complying with the key parameters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), agreed in 2015 by Iran and the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany.

It comes despite the future of the deal being thrown into doubt after US President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact in May and re-imposed US sanctions.

The latest report says the IAEA had had access "to all the sites and locations in Iran which it needed to visit".

The agency repeated language in its previous report emphasising the importance of "timely and proactive cooperation in providing such access" on Iran's part.

A senior diplomat with knowledge of the issue said that the language was a way "to send a message to Iran to prevent potential problems" rather than being caused by any particular behaviour on the part of the Iranians.

The report said Iran's stockpiles of low-enriched uranium and heavy water had both slightly increased since the last report in May, but were still under the limits agreed in the deal.

Iran's economy has been battered by the return of US sanctions following Trump's decision, undermining support for the deal within Iran.

On Wednesday Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tehran should be ready to "set aside" the JCPOA if it is no longer in the country's national interests.

However, Khamenei said talks should continue with European states, who have been trying to find a way to salvage the agreement.