Bloomberg: Three European countries reprimand Iran for failure to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency after 8 years
Following the Islamic Republic of Iran's action to block access to International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to two nuclear facilities, where activities are believed to have been ongoing for two decades, the regime is now facing its first official rebuke in eight years.
Bloomberg reported on Monday, June 16, that France, Britain, and Germany have drafted a resolution demanding that Iran cooperate fully with International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors, the first rebuke from the agency’s board of directors since 2012 and could set the stage for a new round of tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.
Last month, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that while its inspectors have been monitoring Iran's declared nuclear sites under the nuclear deal five years ago, they also want to visit sites where little research may have been conducted about two decades ago.
The sites were initially raised through a review of documents obtained by Israel. However, the International Atomic Energy Agency said its experts had sufficient independently verified information to visit the additional sites.
The resolution by European countries, which also appears to have the support of the United States, expresses "serious concerns about the denial of permission for IAEA inspectors to visit other facilities, pursuant to the Additional Protocol."
The Additional Protocol gives IAEA inspectors immediate access to undeclared facilities and is one of the key items Iran accepted in the nuclear deal with world powers.
The European countries' resolution is due to be presented at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting later this week.
Source: Voice of America
