IAEA warns that withdrawal of cameras could end negotiations on Iranian nuclear program

Iran is withdrawing 27 surveillance cameras in nuclear facilities, after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticized its lack of cooperation, in an escalation of decisions that distances the perspective of reactivating the agreement on the Iranian nuclear program.

“What we have been informed is that 27 cameras (…) are being removed in Iran. So this, of course, poses a serious challenge to our ability to continue working there,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told a news conference at the agency’s headquarters in Vienna.

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The United States also expressed concern about what it considers “provocations from Tehran.”

The head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken assured that Iran’s action could lead to “an aggravated nuclear crisis” and a “greater economic and political isolation of Iran.”

Iran announced Wednesday that had disconnected some of the cameraswithout specifying the number, to protest the IAEA Governing Council’s vote on a resolution that criticized Tehran for its “lack of cooperation.”

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The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described “political action, not constructive and incorrect” that resolution, presented by the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany and approved by 30 of the 35 members of the IAEA.

Only Russia and China voted against, while India, Libya and Pakistan abstained.

The resolution was passed after the IAEAbased in Vienna, expressed concern over traces of enriched uranium found at three undeclared nuclear plants in Iran.

“The adoption of the resolution, which is based on the hasty and unbalanced report of the director general of the IAEA and on false and fabricated information by the Zionist regime [en una referencia a Israel, ndlr]it will only weaken the process of cooperation and interaction between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Agency.”stressed the Iranian ministry.

The countries that promoted this initiative will be “responsible for the consequences”Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh tweeted.

The disconnection of the cameras constitutes a “firm and proportionate response”he added.

Khatibzadeh also assured that Iran had “the most transparent peaceful nuclear program in the world.”

“We will not go back”

In addition to the deactivation of the cameras, Iran informed the IAEA of “the advanced centrifuge facility” at the Natanz site (centre), significantly increasing its uranium enrichment capacity.

Until now, Iran had been careful to avoid confrontation with the IAEAbut this time, the ultraconservative president Ebrahim Raisi was firm.

“We will not go back”, declared, according to the official agency Irna.

The IAEAtasked with verifying the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, can continue inspections and has other instruments at its disposal, but Tehran’s response leads to “less transparency, more doubt,” Grossi said.

“Does this mean we are nearing the end of the race? I hope is not like that”he added, urging Iran to resume dialogue once “emotions calm down a bit.”

negotiations at risk

After the approval of the resolution, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States called on Tehran to “respect its obligations” and cooperate with the IAEA.

If the blockage persists, “in three or four weeks”, the IAEA It will not be able to provide the necessary information to monitor the Iranian nuclear program, Grossi said.

This, he estimated, would deal a “fatal blow” to the 2015 agreement that established the limitation of nuclear activities in exchange for a reduction of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

This agreement has been moribund since then-president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the pact in 2018 and reinstated sanctions against Tehran.

A year after the harsh new punitive measures, Iran began to renege on its commitments under the agreement.

The talks to reactivate it began in April 2021, already under the presidency of Joe Biden in the United States, but have been at a standstill since March of this year.

According to Eric Brewer, an expert at the US Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) research institute, the decisions of the IAEA Board of Governors “could make things dramatically worse.”

Specifically, the expert fears that the decision to withdraw the cameras will complicate the monitoring of the IAEA and allow Iran to increase its enrichment capabilities and accumulate enough material to make a nuclear bomb.

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.