The forthcoming quarterly report from the IAEA confirms that Iran is complying with the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA):

Iran is operating within the essential limits on its nuclear activities imposed by the 2015 nuclear deal with six world powers, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says in a new report. The confidential quarterly IAEA report, seen by several Western news agencies on November 12, said Iran “has not enriched” uranium above low levels and that its stockpile of enriched uranium was under the agreed limit of 300 kilograms.

Iran has been in compliance with the requirements of the nuclear deal in nine consecutive reports issued by the IAEA. Reports of Iranian compliance have become so predictable by now that they scarcely seem newsworthy, but it is worth remembering how certain opponents of the deal were that this would not happen. Opponents of the agreement were sure that Iran would cheat and fail to meet its obligations, and they insisted again and again that there was no point in making a deal with a regime that wouldn’t honor its commitments. For the ninth time in a row, the deal’s opponents have been proved completely wrong on this point.

Iran has been consistently adhering to the restrictions imposed by the JCPOA, so now we hear from critics of the deal that their compliance isn’t enough. Iran hawks no longer claim to care about cheating by Tehran, and instead express their horror that Iran is abiding by the terms of the agreement. These complaints serve as a reminder that no deal will ever satisfy these critics, because they are opposed to any agreement that reduces tensions with Iran and removes a pretext for war. That is why they have fought it tooth and nail for the last two years, and it is why they keep trying to sabotage it now.