Iran-IAEA Technical Meeting Begins to Discuss Uranium Particles at Undeclared Sites
The International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran began discussions on Monday, April 19, aimed at obtaining more information from Tehran regarding the origin of uranium traces found at Iran’s undeclared sites.
The International Atomic Energy Agency announced in a statement that the agency and Iran “today initiated a focused process to clarify remaining outstanding nuclear issues” and added that this is a technical meeting at the level of experts from both sides.
The agency has long sought to inspect two locations in the suburbs of Tehran and Isfahan, saying it is possible that activities took place at these two sites in the early 2000s that Iran had not previously reported; Tehran denies this claim.
Rafael Grossi, the director general of the agency, had said in the quarterly meeting of the Board of Governors on February 28 of last year that Iran had not provided “credible explanations” regarding the discovery of uranium particles at some of its previously undeclared sites and this is “a matter of considerable concern.”
Mr. Grossi, three days later on March 4, announced an agreement on a “technical meeting” with Iran to address such issues, and at the same time, three European countries announced they would not issue a censure resolution against Iran.
France, Britain, and Germany intended to present a censure resolution in the IAEA Board of Governors meeting criticizing Iran’s suspension of some IAEA inspections. The proposal for this censure resolution had been suggested by the United States.
The technical meeting between the two sides was supposed to be held earlier, but informed diplomats in Vienna reported on April 8 that it had been postponed.
Iran’s failure to provide adequate explanation regarding uranium particles at the mentioned sites could lead France, Britain, and Germany to again seek approval of a censure resolution against Iran in the next IAEA Board of Governors meeting in June.
Lack of clarity on the type of activities Iran conducted at these two sites could also affect efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement, whose negotiations are ongoing in Vienna.
Source: Radio Farda
