Rafael Grossi, Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reported that Iran has begun dismantling additional surveillance equipment installed at its nuclear facilities under the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran’s move has been described as a heavy blow to attempts to revive the deal.
Iran had warned that it would retaliate if the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Directors passes the draft resolution that criticizes Tehran on the grounds that it did not clarify the traces of uranium detected in unregistered nuclear facilities prepared by the United States, France, England and Germany.
Iran has notified the IAEA that it plans to remove 27 cameras and other surveillance devices from the apartment as of today. This equipment covers all additional surveillance devices installed at nuclear facilities under the 2015 agreement.
Grossi, President of the IAEA, said that there is 3 to 4 weeks in front of the apartment for the removed equipment to be put back in place, and that if this does not happen, the IAEA will lose its capacity to monitor Iran’s most important nuclear activities and materials. Grossi noted that it is essential to re-install these equipments for the re-enactment of the agreement.
Grossi said that if no progress is made in the 3 to 4 week time frame, “the attempt to revive the deal will be dealt a fatal blow”.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States to revive the 2015 nuclear deal have not been held since March.
Since former US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the deal and reimposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018, Iran has violated the treaty’s nuclear-restrictive clauses, enriched uranium close to nuclear weapons, more advanced centrifuges started using it and increased its stocks of enriched uranium.
While Western powers have warned that Iran is on its way to obtaining a nuclear bomb, Tehran denies any such intention.
Iran has seized data recorded by additional cameras since February 2021. The IAEA hopes to gain access to this data later. Grossi said it is not clear what will happen to this data.
However, Grossi noted that more than 40 cameras belonging to the IAEA will continue to record Iran’s activities since before the 2015 agreement.