“We have reached an agreement so that the cameras and monitoring systems can be put back into operation,” International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Raphael Croci told reporters at Vienna airport.
In addition, the number of visits to the Ford underground plant, where uranium particles were recently found to be enriched to levels close to the threshold of a nuclear bomb, will increase by 50%.
read more: Iran’s nuclear program is nearing the threshold of enriching uranium enough for a bomb
In Austria, where the agency is headquartered, after two days of meetings in Iran and in particular an interview with President Ibrahim Raisi, Raffaele Grossi stressed the importance of these “very concrete” developments.
Amid worsening relations between Iran and Western powers, the Islamic Republic last year cut off severely limited inspections and surveillance cameras, drawing the IAEA into a tailspin.
“We have stopped the hemorrhaging of information” available to the IAEA, said Raffaele Croci. In recent months, the agency said the lack of adequate monitoring could not guarantee the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program.
“This is particularly important,” the 2015 deal that limited Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions, “especially with a view to renewing the deal.”
Stalled negotiations
Negotiations between Tehran and the state parties (China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France and Germany) have been suspended since August 2022, with the tacit participation of the United States.
The deal, abbreviated JCPOA, has been languishing since President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States in 2018, and Iran has gradually released itself from its obligations.
read more: Fears of a nuclear Iran have faded into the background
In Tehran, the head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency (OIEA), Mohammad Eslami, called on the protagonists of the debate to make the gesture as well. “The three European countries and other countries are only focused on Iran’s obligations under the JCPOA. They also have obligations to accept,” he said.
“Iran will never sacrifice its national interests”, Mohammad Eslami underlined, while President Raisi also emphasized with Raffaele Grossi in defending “the rights of the country of Iran”.
“We expect the IAEA to take a purely professional approach [envers le dossier nucléaire iranien] And political powers (…) do not affect the activities of the agency”, said Ibrahim Raissy, according to the presidential website.
UN The agency’s chief is now expected to present the results of his trip during a meeting of IAEA governors scheduled for next week in Vienna.
“Capitalize on this momentum”
Despite the progress, “today’s announcement does not go far enough to reduce the growing threat posed by Iran,” responded Kelsey Davenport, an expert at the Arms Control Association.
The U.S. and Europeans should “seek to capitalize on this momentum by building diplomatic momentum to re-engage Iran in negotiations,” he said, referring to a possible resolution in response to Ford’s finding.
Iran, which denies it wants to acquire nuclear weapons, has justified itself by citing “arbitrary fluctuations” during the enrichment process and vowed, as Mohammad Eslami reiterated on Saturday, “to make no attempt to enrich above 60%.” However France on Thursday ruled it an “unprecedented and very serious development”.
On Saturday, Raffaele Croci didn’t want to be cautious on the matter. “We found a certain level and then we asked for an explanation. But by continuing to observe the installation, we found that there is no production or accumulation of uranium at this level,” he noted.
Iran was subpoenaed at the last IAEA meeting in November 2022 for its non-cooperation over the discovery of traces of enriched uranium at three undeclared sites last year.
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