Minor infractions don’t brand Iran out of compliance

Says Iran has “violated the terms of the (nuclear) deal.” — Karen Handel on June 8 in a debate

The prevailing view among foremost authorities is that Iran has complied. The International Atomic Energy Agency has primary monitoring responsibility, and it has repeatedly found Iran in compliance with the terms of the agreement. The U.S. State Department, which is required to report to Congress every 90 days on Iran’s compliance, also certified in April that the Islamic Republic is living up to its end of the deal.

The Handel campaign zeroed in on two infractions Iran committed. Iran has twice crept over its allowed limit of “heavy water,” a modified liquid used in some nuclear reactors. Some experts we spoke to said Iran has tried to create wiggle room by interpreting parts of the agreement to favor its own interests. But the consensus is that saying Iran has violated the deal overstates the case.

Our ruling

The IAEA, the foremost authority on the matter, has repeatedly deemed Iran in compliance with the deal. The State Department has also. Experts said minor breaches of the limit on heavy water posed no practical risk of moving Iran closer to developing a nuclear weapon, and said such infractions should not be interpreted to mean Iran has not complied with terms of the deal.

We rate Handel’s statement Mostly False.

Karen Handel