France Consults with Allies on Possible Resolution against Iran

France says it can, together with its partners, take action against Iran at the next meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The IAEA Director General said in Glasgow that monitoring of Iran’s nuclear facilities has been weakened and there is no access to Iran’s atomic centers.

French officials announced on Thursday, November 4 (Aban 13) that the country can take action against Iran along with its allies at the next meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna.

This comes as the Islamic Republic of Iran has announced that it will resume negotiations with world powers in late November with the aim of returning to the JCPOA.

According to Reuters, Western countries refrained from approving an IAEA resolution against Iran in September, in which Iran was pressured to enable IAEA monitoring of a number of its nuclear activity sites. Following this Western countries’ withdrawal, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, traveled to Iran to negotiate outstanding IAEA questions.

At that time, the United States, France, Britain, and Germany prevented the adoption of a resolution against Iran at the IAEA Board of Governors in order to avoid escalating the dispute between the IAEA and Iran, hoping that Iran would return to JCPOA revival talks.

Based on an agreement reached between Iran and the JCPOA Joint Commission President in the European Union, talks on returning to the JCPOA are set to resume in Vienna on November 29 (Azar 8).

Ann-Claire Legendre, spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday in her daily briefing to reporters: “Iran must resume dialogue and cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency and continuously answer the IAEA’s questions, which have so far remained unanswered by Iran.”

Western countries are increasingly disappointed that Iran is not fully complying with its agreements with the International Atomic Energy Agency regarding IAEA monitoring of all of the country’s nuclear activities.

Ms. Legendre said that Paris remains deeply concerned that Iran is not even adhering to what it committed to in September. She called on Iranian officials to return continuously to their commitments to the Agency.

The French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman stated: “We will carefully monitor together with our allies to ensure that Iran will fulfill its commitments, and then we will consult with each other on an appropriate response.”

Grossi: Nuclear Monitoring in Iran Has Weakened

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said on the sidelines of the Glasgow Climate Summit that monitoring of nuclear facilities in Iran has become difficult.

Grossi said in an interview with CNN: “It is a fact that nuclear monitoring in Iran has weakened.”

In this interview, he emphasized that it is increasingly difficult for the International Atomic Energy Agency to work as a nuclear inspector with regard to Iran’s nuclear activities.

Grossi added: “We need access.”

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, who traveled to Glasgow to participate in the twenty-sixth International Climate Summit, compared on Wednesday in an interview with the Associated Press the method of inspecting Iran’s atomic centers to flying in thick clouds, and emphasized that this path cannot continue for a long time.

Grossi expressed hope that he would soon return to Iran and resume high-level and in-person talks with Iranian officials.

Source: DW