Nuclear-related commitments are being implemented by Iran: IAEA

Iran has stuck to its commitment under the 2015 nuclear deal, the head of the UN's atomic watchdog said, a day after the US withdrew from the international agreement calling it "defective at its core".

President Donald Trump had announced at the White House that the US would be withdrawing from the deal, and unilaterally begin reinstating economic sanctions against Iran at "the highest level".

"Iran is subject to the world's most robust nuclear verification regime under the JCPOA, which is a significant verification gain. As of today, the IAEA can confirm that the nuclear-related commitments are being implemented by Iran," said Yukiya Amano, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), refering to the deal.

The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)was reached by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, the US and the European Union.

It sets out rigorous mechanisms for monitoring restrictions placed on Iran's nuclear programme, while paving the way for the lifting UN sanctions against the country.

"It is clear to me that we cannot prevent Iran nuclear bomb. The Iran deal is defective at its core. Therefore, I am announcing today that the United States would withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal," Trump had said.

The US President did not claim that Iran was in violation of the terms of the deal, but described its so-called "sunset provisions" which lift restrictions on the country's ability to enrich uranium within 10 to 15 years as "totally unacceptable".

UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres said in a statement shortly after the US announcement, that he was "deeply concerned" by the decision, and called on the remaining parties to preserve the deal.

The IAEA has repeatedly said that according to its inspectors on the ground in Iran, no violations of the agreement had taken place, and there has been no evidence of any activity relating to any "nuclear explosive device", after 2009.

The IAEA Director General said the agency would be "closely following developments related to the JCPOA, as requested by the United Nations Security Council and authorised by the IAEA Board of Governors in 2015.