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IAEA, Iran make progress in resolving nuclear control issues - Grossi

Nuclear Program Materials 5 June 2023 16:47 (UTC +04:00)
IAEA, Iran make progress in resolving nuclear control issues - Grossi
Elnur Baghishov
Elnur Baghishov
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BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 5. The process of implementing joint statement between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran on the resolution of control issues has begun, and progress has been made in this direction, Director General of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi said at the meeting of the Board of Directors of the agency on June 5, Trend reports.

“In early May, the IAEA installed surveillance cameras at facilities producing centrifuge supplies in Iran. In addition, the agency has installed enrichment control equipment at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, as well as equipment at the Natanz Fuel Enrichment Laboratory, to monitor the levels of Iranian-declared enriched uranium at the facilities,” Grossi said.

He added that these steps help to identify any changes in uranium enrichment rates at the mentioned facilities more quickly.

The director general also pointed out that the progress achieved was not at the expected level. It must be a continuous process that all the commitments currently published in the joint statement come to fruition without delay.

Regarding the progress in the matter related to the discovery of nuclear particles in undeclared places in Iran, Grossi said that Iran has provided an explanation about the possibility of the presence of low levels of uranium in Marivan.

"Our assessment of this place is still valid. I repeat that the issues raised regarding Iran's obligations in the comprehensive monitoring agreement between Iran and the IAEA are monitoring issues and these issues must be resolved so that the IAEA can stand in a position to guarantee that Iran's nuclear program is of a peaceful nature,” he noted.

On May 30, 2023, informed sources in Iran announced that Iran and IAEA have agreed on two issues. The issue raised by the IAEA regarding the Abadeh nuclear facility in Fars province in the south of Iran, as well as the issue about the discovery of 83.7 percent enriched uranium remains in Iran, have already been resolved.

In January 2016, JCPOA was launched between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, UK, France, and Germany) in connection with Iran's nuclear program. In May 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran in November of the same year. To preserve the agreements reached as part of the JCPOA, the European signatories of the deal started in January 2019 that a financial mechanism for maintaining trade with Iran called INSTEX was formed.

On May 8, 2019, Iran announced that it had ceased fulfilling its commitments regarding the sale of over 300 kilograms of uranium, as stated in the deal, basing its decision on the other signatories that have not fulfilled their obligations. On July 7, Iran announced that it will not be fulfilling its commitments regarding the enrichment of uranium at 3.67 percent and the reconstruction of the Arak Heavy Water Reactor Facility as stated in the deal.

Iran announced that it will enrich uranium using next-generation centrifuges and will not mix it with the enriched uranium residues as part of the third step of reducing commitments in JCPOA on Sept.5. On Nov. 5, 2019, Iran announced that it took the fourth step in connection with reducing its commitments to the nuclear agreement. So, uranium gas is being pumped to the centrifuges at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.

On Jan.2020, Iran took the last fifth step in reducing the number of its commitments within JCPOA.

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