Iran nuclear reactor
© AP Photo / IIPA,Ebrahim Norouzi
The Iran nuclear deal was scrapped by US President Donald Trump, who undermined Obama's diplomatic victory and re-imposed sanctions previously lifted under the agreement.

The UN atomic watchdog has issued a report confirming that Iran was following the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, also known as the Iran nuclear deal. Thus, the UN watchdog affirmed that the Islamic Republic had been complying with the restrictions on its nuclear programme.

The international body also verified that the Islamic Republic had provided access to the sites.

At the same time, Reuters reported, citing an unnamed senior diplomat, that Iran's stance on the nuclear issue hadn't changed since the US sanctions were re-imposed.

"There is nothing that indicates that Iranian cooperation or the Iranian attitude has changed since the 5th of November," the senior diplomat stated.

The report was published just days after the United States hit Iran with the second batch of sanctions. The punitive measures targeted the Islamic Republic's energy, banking and transportation sectors, including over 700 Iranian and Iran-linked individuals and entities, as well as Iranian-flagged ships, and aircraft belonging to Iran Air.

The aforementioned Iranian nuclear deal, signed by Tehran, Washington, London, Berlin, Paris, Moscow and Beijing in 2015, stipulates Iran's agreement to curb its nuclear operations in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. However, earlier this year, US President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US out of the deal and reimposed sanctions lifted by Barack Obama, claiming that once the deal expires, there would be no legal obstacle keeping Tehran from developing nuclear weapons and no sanctions for it to fear.

EU nations have opted to keep the deal in place and develop avenues that would allow Iran to trade with them, bypassing the sanctions.