Iran's lack of cooperation with the IAEA is a threat to achieving a nuclear deal

The deadline for Iran's one-month cooperation agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency has expired. Iran has not yet extended the deadline, an issue that Western diplomats believe could cast a shadow over the success of negotiations to revive the JCPOA.

On June 24, the one-month cooperation agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency expired. The Islamic Republic had announced that its officials would decide whether to extend the agreement. However, as of the evening of June 24, the Islamic Republic had not announced a position on the issue.

After Biden's victory in the US presidential election, the Islamic Consultative Assembly had made continued cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency conditional on the lifting of sanctions.

Following the visit of IAEA Secretary General Rafael Grossi to Tehran and his meeting and talks with Ali Akbar Salehi, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, an agreement was reached on a three-month grace period for Iran's cooperation with the Agency, an agreement that was valid from February 21 to May 24.

Before the end of this three-month period, the Islamic Republic of Iran extended its cooperation with the Agency by one month; the deadline expired on June 24.

According to a report published by Reuters, the authorities of the Islamic Republic of Iran have not announced their decision to extend or not to extend this deadline.

“Black Box”

The solution agreed upon by Iran and the IAEA is the so-called “black box.” In other words, the Islamic Republic will not remove the IAEA’s cameras and surveillance devices at its nuclear facilities, but it has deferred allowing the agency access to the recorded information to the nuclear deal.

Failure to extend this deadline will risk preventing the Agency from being able to use its facilities to monitor the Islamic Republic's nuclear activities. In addition, restrictions have been imposed on the visits of Agency inspectors.

Reuters has published a report detailing the positions of Western diplomats regarding Iran's pursuit of such a policy. These diplomats have warned Iran against extending the deadline agreed upon with the IAEA.

The diplomats, who did not wish to reveal their identities, said that creating gaps in the chain of information recorded by the International Atomic Energy Agency on Iran's nuclear activities at Natanz and Fordow could affect the likelihood of reaching an agreement on the fate of the JCPOA.

Furthermore, it has been stated that the use of the "black box" approach cannot ultimately satisfy the Agency about the continued monitoring of Iran's nuclear activities.

It should be noted that on June 7, Rafael Grossi, the Secretary General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, published a report on Iran's lack of full cooperation with the Agency and its failure to respond transparently to questions about the country's nuclear activities at its four undeclared facilities.

Now, diplomats from Western countries have called on Iran to continue its cooperation with the Agency and not to harm the negotiations of the Joint Commission on the JCPOA by adopting a provocative policy.

Source: DW