Iran ambassador: No one has right to breach law on limiting IAEA access

Iran’s ambassador to international organizations in Vienna has dismissed speculations that Tehran suspended the implementation of a new law that tasks the administration to accelerate the development of Iran’s nuclear program, following a visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran.

“The full implementation of the legislation passed by the esteemed Majlis (parliament) is a serious concern of the establishment and no one has the right to neglect it,” Kazem Gharibabadi tweeted on Monday morning.

The remarks came amid mounting concerns inside the country caused by a joint statement issued by Grossi and Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), which said Iran will continue to “implement fully and without limitation its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA as before.”

Gharibabadi said the implementation of the law – the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions – will not be postponed, and no permission to carry out inspections beyond the Safeguards Agreement will be granted to the IAEA.

Iran, IAEA reach ‘temporary bilateral technical understanding’

Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have reached a “temporary bilateral technical understanding” during the visit of IAEA chief to Tehran, according to a joint statement.

Iranian lawmakers passed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions in early December as a remedial measure against the United States’ illegal sanctions which were imposed after the US withdrew from the nuclear deal, officially called the JCPOA, in May 2018.

The law obligated the Iranian administration to stop allowing IAEA inspections beyond the Safeguards Agreement, including the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol, if the other parties to the JCPOA failed to deliver on their commitments before a two-month deadline.

The joint statement by Salehi and Grossi said Iran will stop the implementation of the voluntary measures as envisaged in the Iran nuclear agreement, as of February 23.

Gharibabadi also said Iran will keep the IAEA’s monitoring information for three months without giving the agency access to them.

“During this period, the Agency will have no access to the data and the information remains exclusively with Iran,” he explained, emphasizing that the information will be given to the IAEA if the sanctions are lifted within three months.

“Otherwise, [the data] will be deleted forever,” the Iranian ambassador added.

Following Grossi’s trip, who departed Tehran on Sunday evening, Zarif took to Twitter to once again urge the US as the “offending side” to take immediate corrective measures, including a return to its JCPOA commitments and the lifting of sanctions.

“Iran would reciprocate immediately by reversing its remedial measures,” he added.

There is a path forward, with a logical sequence:#CommitActMeet

As the offending side, US must take corrective measures:
-commit to JCPOA
-effectively fulfill obligations

Iran would reciprocate immediately by reversing its remedial measures.https://t.co/UkREG8n9Ph

— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 21, 2021

Grossi wrote in a tweet that his consultations with Iranian officials had a “good result”.

“A temporary technical understanding has been reached,” he said. “The @IAEAorg will continue its necessary verification and monitoring in #Iran.”

Intensive consultations led to a good result. A temporary technical understanding has been reached. The @IAEAorg will continue its necessary verification and monitoring in #Iran. https://t.co/5ZOmSXh24E

— Rafael MarianoGrossi (@rafaelmgrossi) February 21, 2021

Where does each party stand regarding Iran nuclear deal?

As the future of the nuclear deal hangs in the balance, the signatories to the deal have begun to take contrasting positions.

Earlier on Sunday, Russia’s ambassador to the international organizations in Vienna lamented the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and blamed its “maximum pressure” policy against Tehran for the current situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program.

“However, we still have a good chance to restore full implementation of the deal soon and shouldn’t miss this opportunity,” Mikhail Ulyanov added.

Ulyanov also welcomed Grossi’s comments, saying via Twitter that although “the Additional Protocol will be suspended in 2 days, the Agency and #Iran reached common understandings which will allow to maintain sufficient level of verification.”

Breaking news! The #IAEA Director General R.Grossi has just returned from #Tehran with positive results. Although the Additional Protocol will be suspended in 2 days, the Agency and #Iran reached common understandings which will allow to maintain sufficient level of verification.

— Mikhail Ulyanov (@Amb_Ulyanov) February 21, 2021

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