The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) denounced, Thursday, June 9, the decision of Iran to withdraw 27 surveillance cameras from its nuclear activities, fearing that these measures carry a « coup fatal » the Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna. Iran had informed the IAEA of its decision on Wednesday in response to the adoption of a resolution criticizing Tehran. This measure “naturally poses a serious challenge to our ability to continue working there”, said the director general of the UN body, Rafael Grossi, during a press conference in Vienna. The IAEA verifies and monitors the implementation of the commitments made by Iran under the nuclear agreement concluded in Vienna in 2015 with the major powers.
Talks were launched a year ago in the Austrian capital to try to reintegrate the United States into this pact denounced in 2018 by former US President Donald Trump and to bring Iran back to full respect for its international commitments. regarding its nuclear program.
Berlin, London and Paris called Iran on Thursday evening “to put an end to the nuclear escalation” et “to urgently accept now the agreement on the table” since March, according to a joint statement. “We condemn” Tehran’s decision, say the three countries in this statement sent by the German Foreign Ministry. “This aggravates the situation and complicates our efforts to fully recover” the 2015 agreement.
« Provocations »
Washington has also expressed concern over the « provocations » of Tehran, the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, warning against “an aggravated nuclear crisis” and against a “Iran’s increased economic and political isolation”. Tehran announced on Wednesday that it had disconnected some cameras, without specifying the number, just before the vote in the IAEA Board of Governors on a resolution formally calling Iran to order for its lack of cooperation.
In question, the absence of answers “technically credible” of Iran regarding traces of enriched uranium previously found at three sites that Tehran had not declared to have hosted nuclear activities. Condemning this text presented by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, Iran deplored a gesture ” Politics “ et “not constructive”.
The adoption of this text “will only weaken the process of cooperation” with the IAEA, warned the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. And the spokesman for diplomacy, Saeed Khatibzadeh, defended “peaceful nuclear program” le “more transparent in the world”from his country.
In addition to disabling the cameras, Iran has informed the IAEA of the installation of two new cascades of advanced centrifuges on the Natanz site (center), thus significantly strengthening its uranium enrichment capacity. The IAEA can continue inspections and still has 40 cameras on site, but this measure by Tehran results in “less transparency, more doubts”, explained Mr. Grossi. He called on Iran to resume dialogue once “the fallen emotion”.
“We will not back down”
Until now, Iran had been careful to avoid confrontation with the IAEA, but this time the ultra-conservative president, Ebrahim Raisi, showed his firmness. “We will not back down”, he said, according to the official IRNA agency. If the blockage persists, “in three or four weeks” the IAEA will no longer be able to provide the information needed to monitor Iran’s nuclear program, said Mr. Grossi.
According to him, this “would deliver a fatal blow” to the 2015 agreement providing for the limitation of Iranian nuclear activities in exchange for an easing of international sanctions, moribund since the withdrawal in 2018 of the United States which reimposed punitive measures on Tehran. A year later, Iran began to go back on its commitments, over the months taking unprecedented steps, while denying that it wanted to acquire the atomic bomb.