Iran says an agreement between Tehran and the UN nuclear watchdog for the inspection of nuclear facilities for three months ended on Saturday.
Iran’s Parliament official asserted that access to footages of nuclear installations will be revoked.
The chairman of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will conduct a press conference on Sunday afternoon. Rafael Grossi is negotiating with Iran about extension of Inspection agreement. The moves might affect the ongoing talks between Tehran and 5+1 powers to resurrect the 2015 JCPOA.
Qalibaf, Iranian parliament speaker, said the content of the agreement will come into effect after May 22: “From May 22 and with the end of the three-month agreement, the agency will have no access to data collected by cameras inside the nuclear facilities agreed under the agreement.”
An anonymous official was also mentioned by Iran’s state television as suggesting that the agency’s arrangement with Tehran over the inspection may be extended “conditionally” for another month.
“If extended for a month and if during this period major powers … accept Iran’s legal demands, then the data will be handed over to the agency. Otherwise the images will be deleted forever,” Iranian high-rank official has said.
Western officials have cautioned that failing to renew the IAEA deal might jeopardise attempts to save the 2015 nuclear agreement, which attempts to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which Tehran claims it has never desired.
Since April, Iran and world powers have had multiple rounds of talks, focusing on the policies that Iran and the United States must adopt to return to conformity with the nuclear accord. Sanctions on the Side of Washington and nuclear activity on Iranian side are of the most important parts of the negotiations.
Former US President Donald Trump revoked the US participation as a member of JCPOA in 2018. He reversed the US commitments according to the deal and imposed sanctions on Iran. Iran, in response, began steadily breaking the provisions of the agreement. Tehran increased enrichment rate to %60 and its reservoir of enriched uranium and plutonium against its commitments in the deal.
Iranian President stated on Sunday that Tehran will keep on discussions in Vienna “until a final deal is reached.” Rouhani, whose government will expire in three months, also reiterated his earlier declaration that “Washington has decided to ease sanctions” on Iran.
Other participants in the negotiations, including Iran’s senior nuclear negotiator, warned earlier this week that several major issues need to be discussed further in order for the deal to be revived.
Last year, Iranian parliament approved a bill ending Iran’s obligation to let the IAEA short-notice inspection to ensure nuclear work is not being used surreptitiously for military purposes. The move is believed a leverage to press the new US government to rejoin the accord and terminate the one-sided sanctions.
The bill has the support of Iran’s highest authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, according to the House speaker. That might mean that all political apparatus in Iranian executive structure is unified in putting pressure on Biden administration to make for former governments violations.
As Qalibaf said, “Yesterday it was discussed and the decision was made. The law passed by the parliament will be implemented. The supreme leader has underlined the importance of implementing the law as well.”
A series of indirect face-offs between Iran and Israel has further complicated the condition. In the most recent one, an explosion in Natanz nuclear plant destroyed the electricity supply of the facility leading to damage on a number of centrifuges. Iran described the move as a sabotage by Israel.
Leaks of the confidential information about Iranian nuclear program led the Iranian officials to make stricter decisions on the security control of facilities in recent months.
