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IAEA says monitoring agreement with Iran lacks specific time frame

Monday, 13 September 2021 10:02 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 13 September 2021 10:02 PM ]

Homa Lezgee
Press TV, Vienna

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Governors opens a weekly session just a day after IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi’s trip to Tehran.

Grossi had raised concerns about IAEA access to monitoring equipment in Iran and safeguards-related questions about the country’s past nuclear activities.

Rafael Grossi said no-one could expect him to resolve the outstanding safeguards-related issues with Iran within a 10-hour visit to the country. The most urgent matter, however, the imminent loss of IAEA data, had been adequately addressed.

The IAEA’s surveillance cameras will now continue to record data that will be kept in Iran under joint seals. But for how long? Apparently, as long as it takes for talks to revive the nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, to bear fruit.

Grossi said he would soon travel back to Iran to have a clear conversation with the new Iranian government, which in his words has very firm ideas with regards to nuclear activities.

Iran’s ambassador to the IAEA says all of the country’s nuclear activities including enrichment at the 20 and 60 percent levels and the production of uranium metal are within Iran’s rights under the NPT and in line with the country’s Safeguards commitments.

Gharibabadi says since the US’s unilateral sanctions against Iran are still in place and the other sides have not lived up to their commitments under the nuclear deal to remove them, nobody can demand that Iran stop these activities.

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