IAEA Inspectors Seek Ways to Increase Monitoring of Iran’s Nuclear Program
International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors are working to design an emergency program to address information gaps regarding Iran’s nuclear activities, in case Iran and world powers fail to reach an agreement on the nuclear program.
Official of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna are preparing a three-month security report on Iran’s nuclear activities. This report is scheduled to be presented next month to a meeting of diplomats in Vienna.
Since the Iranian Parliament imposed limitations on IAEA monitoring of Iran’s nuclear activities in early 2021 in response to American sanctions, IAEA inspectors have had difficulty assessing the level of these activities. It is reported that Iran will soon gain access to enriched uranium capable of producing nuclear warheads.
According to Bloomberg, diplomats in the Austrian capital say that in the current situation, the IAEA can strive to reach a new agreement with Iran and specify the number of inspections at uranium enrichment sites.
The “Comprehensive JCPOA” or the Additional Protocol, which Iran has committed itself to implementing before the IAEA, requires countries to provide access to increased inspections if their nuclear activities exceed permitted limits.
Bloomberg reports, citing two informed officials who did not want their names disclosed, that when Iran decided to increase the concentration of uranium enrichment beyond the permitted limit stipulated in the JCPOA to the level of nuclear warhead production capability, it clearly violated the “Comprehensive JCPOA.”
The IAEA’s press office declined to respond to Bloomberg’s email inquiry on this matter and did not want to disclose “confidential correspondence with IAEA member states.”
The two officials added that although changes to the security framework with inspector monitoring do not align with the JCPOA, increased inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites could help address concerns about the potential military use of enriched uranium.
Source: DW
