The European Union this Sunday, September 17, urged Iran to reconsider its decision to exclude inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). For more than two years, the IAEA has struggled to control Tehran’s nuclear program, which continues to grow, even though the Iranian government denies wanting to acquire an atomic bomb.
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All 27 Member States are concerned. The European Union called on Iran to revoke its decision to withdraw the accreditation of several inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), responsible for monitoring its nuclear program.
“The EU urges Iran to review its decision without delay,” an EU spokesperson said.
Brussels, which plays the role of coordinator of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, known by the acronym JCPOA, is “very concerned.”
“The direct and severe impact of this decision on the agency’s ability to carry out its verification activities, which includes monitoring” of the JCPOA, “is particularly concerning,” he said.
Iran has withdrawn the accreditation of several International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors responsible for monitoring its nuclear program. An announcement, which was made known to the UN body on Saturday, September 16, which condemned this gesture as “unprecedented.”
With this measure, which comes after another recent case, “Iran has eliminated a third of the core group” of experts, which “directly and drastically affects” the IAEA’s ability to carry out its mission and guarantee the peaceful nature of nuclear activities, as explained by its general director, Rafael Grossi.
It is “another step in the wrong direction” and “deals an unnecessary blow to an already tense relationship”, he considers, and calls on the Government to “review its position” and “rectify the situation”, he added.
For more than two years, the IAEA has struggled to control Iran’s nuclear program, which continues to grow even though Tehran denies wanting to acquire an atomic bomb.
IAEA again pointed out Iran after detecting particles of uranium enriched over 80%
According to Iranian media and a Western diplomat, eight inspectors are involved, all French or German.
The Islamic Republic explained that it had taken this measure in response to the warning issued this week by the United States and the European countries of the E3 group (France, Germany and the United Kingdom), during the meeting of the Board of Governors in Vienna, headquarters of the IAEA.
Iran has been progressively freeing itself from the commitments assumed under the 2015 agreement, in reaction to the withdrawal of the United States, decided in 2018, by President Donald Trump.
This pact was supposed to limit Iran’s atomic activities in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. Discussions held in Vienna by various interested parties to revive it failed last year.
Adapted from his French version.
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