Iran dismantles 27 IAEA surveillance cameras at its facilities

Iran has dismantled 27 surveillance cameras of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in different nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic, the director of the UN nuclear agency, Rafael Grossi, reported Thursday in Vienna.

The head of the IAEA specified that these are facilities located in Tehran, Isfahan and Natanz, the latter where there is a large uranium enrichment plant, a material with possible dual use, civil and military.

LOOK: Iranian Army Commander Threatens to Destroy Tel Aviv

After this measure by Iran, which comes a day after the IAEA Board of Governors approved a resolution critical of Iran for its lack of transparency in the face of international inspectors, some 40 surveillance cameras remain from the agency, Grossi told reporters. the press

In a matter of a few weeks, between three or four, Grossi warned, the inspectors will no longer be able to reconstruct the evolution of the Iranian nuclear program.

“The window of opportunity is very small. We are very close,” Grossi said, to losing the ability to guarantee what experts call “continuity of knowledge” about Iran’s nuclear activities.

Iran suspended on February 23, 2021 the full access of IAEA experts to its nuclear program.

Since then, the agency’s surveillance cameras were recording all nuclear developments on hard drives, which could be reviewed by inspectors once the 2015 nuclear deal had been reinstated.

This agreement, known as JCPOA, for its acronym in English, has been in question for several years due to the abandonment of it by the United States in 2018 and the subsequent breaches by Iran.

Grossi acknowledged today that if Iran does not restore the services of the IAEA’s surveillance cameras in the coming weeks, this will constitute a “lethal blow” for the JCPOA, since the agency could not provide verification guarantees.

Iran has been negotiating since last year with the United States and five other powers to restore the atomic pact, which provides for significant limitations on the country’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.

The talks have been suspended since last March, with no agreement in sight.

After the departure of the United States, under then-Republican President Donald Trump, Washington re-imposed sanctions against Iran, including an oil embargo, which notably damages the Iranian economy.

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.