The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday condemned Iran’s decision to withdraw 27 surveillance cameras from its nuclear activities, fearing the measures could face a “fatal blow” to Iranian nuclear talks in Vienna . .
Iran informed theIAEA the withdrawal of 27 cameras in response to the adoption of a resolution criticizing Tehran, the UN body announced on Thursday.
This measure naturally poses a serious challenge to our ability to continue working theresaid its general manager Rafael Grossi, at a press conference in Vienna.
L ‘IAEA ensures and monitors the implementation of promises made by Iran under the nuclear agreement concluded in 2015 in Vienna with the major powers from which the United States unilaterally withdrew in 2018.
Talks were launched last year in the Austrian capital to try to re-integrate the United States into this agreement and return Iran to full compliance with its international commitments regarding its nuclear program.
Berlin, London and Paris called on Iran on Thursday night to end nuclear escalation at to urgently agree now to the agreement at the table since March, according to the joint statement.
We condemn Tehran’s decision, say the three countries in this statement sent by the German Foreign Ministry. This exacerbates the situation and complicates our efforts to fully recover the agreement in 2015.
Washington has also expressed concern over Provocation of Tehran, the head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken has warned against an aggravated nuclear crisis and against a Iran’s increased economic and political isolation.
Iran raised the tone and announced new measures
Tehran announced on Wednesday that it had disconnected several cameras, without specifying the number, ahead of the vote in the Council of Governors ofIAEA of a resolution formally calling on Iran to mandate for its lack of cooperation.
To the question, the lack of answers technically convincing of Iran regarding traces of enriched uranium previously found at three sites not declared by Tehran that host nuclear activities.
In condemning this text presented by the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany, Iran regretted an act Politics at not constructive.
The adoption of this text will only weaken the teamwork process with l ‘IAEAwarns the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
And diplomacy spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh defended the peaceful nuclear program The most transparent in the worldfrom his country.
Aside from disabling the cameras, Iran informed theIAEA the installation of two new cascades of advanced centrifuges at the Natanz site (center), thus significantly boosting its uranium enrichment capacity.
L ‘IAEA can continue inspections and still have 40 cameras on site, but this Tehran proposal results in less transparency, more doubtexplained Mr. Grossi.
He called on Iran to resume dialogue once the fallen emotion.
A turning point for negotiations
Until now, Iran has been careful to avoid confrontationIAEAbut this time, President Ebrahim Raisi showed his resilience.
We will not retreathe said, according to the official IRNA agency.
If the blockage continues, in three or four weeks IIAEA can no longer provide the information needed to monitor Iran’s nuclear program, Mr. Grossi said.
According to him, this will face a fatal blow in an agreement in 2015 that provides for a limit on Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for easing international sanctions, which the United States will soon withdraw in 2018 from re-enforcing punitive measures on Tehran.
A year later, Iran began to return to its promises, over months of taking unprecedented steps, while denying that it wanted to acquire the atomic bomb.
These new developments certainly increasing the pressure on negotiations to push a decision one way or the othercommented forAFP Eric Brewer, of the American research institute Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).
France Media Agency
Source: Radio-Canada
