BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 1. Iran's continuing
enrichment activities raise concerns, the Director General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said,
Trend reports.
"Despite Iran’s rapport with the agency limits its activities,
allowing us largely monitor capacities, our deal with them for
further verification isn't working to the level and pace I would
like to see," he said.
Referring to the agreement reached with Iran in March, 2023, Grossi said that the IAEA has been able to partially confide in the provisions set forth in the agreement which incentive Iran to continue its enrichment activities.
Despite Grossi’s last visit to Iran three months ago where he had announced the signing of new agreements with the regime, yet, Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium has increased by more than a quarter.
Although Iran states that its nuclear-related programs serve for peaceful purposes, citing the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has increased the amount of highly enriched uranium by 27 percent in the last three months, and currently, the country's enriched uranium reserves reach up to 4,745 kilograms. This is 15 times more than the amount of uranium allowed for Iran in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Earlier in June, Iran emphasized that it had reinstalled 10 cameras of the UN nuclear watchdog in one of its installations that were removed last year when the UN watchdog’s board of governors in June 2022 censured Tehran for its lack of cooperation with the agency.
Grossi also welcomed unconfirmed reports that US President Joe Biden’s administration seems to favor an informal and unwritten agreement with Tehran following the collapse of Vienna talks to restore the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal .
“I am aware of the bilateral contacts between Iran and the US. If there are any alternative agreements, I hope that we will be invited to verify that the commitments made are real and not just a piece of paper,” he added.
Lately, Iran and the US have been indirectly negotiating with the mediation of Oman relating to a number of confidence-building issues, including the exchange of prisoners in the two countries. Moreover, Iran is in ongoing talks with 3 European countries (the UK, France and Germany) pertaining to Iran's nuclear program.
In the discussions, Iran is mainly trying to achieve the abolition of sanctions imposed by the US and Western countries, the removal of its funds frozen abroad, and the abolition of the restriction on the export of crude oil. In return, the US and Western countries want Iran not to acquire an atomic bomb, to keep its nuclear program under control, and to reduce the level of uranium enrichment
Although Iran claims that its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, it is required to provide facts and guarantees to prove it at the international level.
On 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 has taken 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.
On May 8, 2018, the US announced its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany), and imposed new sanctions against Iran as of November 2018.
Over the past period, the sanctions affected Iranian oil exports, ranging from above 700 banks, companies, to individuals. The sanctions have resulted in the freezing of Iranian assets abroad.