BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16. Speaking about the restoration of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program is premature if there is no clear direction on lifting sanctions on Iran, the official representative of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Behrouz Kamalvandi told local media, Trend reports.
According to him, there is a strategic action plan approved by the Iranian parliament, and the main requirement in this plan is the lifting of sanctions.
“Iran's goal is to lift the sanctions imposed on the country. If other parties determine the direction by fulfilling their obligations, Iran is also ready to move in that direction.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, seeks to hold discussions on the revitalization of the Integrated Joint Action Plan. He is trying to define the role of the IAEA from this aspect. The IAEA previously had information about Iran's nuclear activities. However, after the Iran Strategic Steps Plan was implemented, some IAEA inspections, including oversight beyond the high-security level, were reduced. Of course, those controls will be restored once negotiations resume and the parties return to the Comprehensive Joint Action Plan. Iran is in favor of serious discussions. There are two issues in those discussions. One issue is the commitments of the opposite sides, the lifting of sanctions, and the second issue is Iran's fulfillment of its commitments,” he said.
Kamalvandi added that some groups claim that Iran has nuclear evasion. However, if these claims are addressed technically and properly, they will soon be resolved. The unresolved nature of the claims makes it clear that the claims are political. For instance, Iran's claim of 84 percent uranium enrichment caused a stir. After investigation, the IAEA stated that there was no such enrichment.
Meanwhile, in January 2016, Iran and the P5+1 group (the US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) implemented the Comprehensive Joint Plan of Action concerning Iran’s nuclear program.
In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20-30 percent.
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