Grossi’s Negative Report
In a report by Iran Gate, Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), in his opening speech at the IAEA Board of Governors’ quarterly meeting, which started a few days ago and continues until today, Friday, made claims about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Grossi, referring to his quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear program, stated that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium at 20% and 60% purity continues to increase, and that Iran has increased the number of cascades it uses to produce UF6. It has been three and a half years since Iran stopped implementing its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA, including the implementation of the Additional Protocol, and therefore, it has been three and a half years since the IAEA had complementary access in Iran.
The Director General claimed that there has been no progress in resolving the remaining safeguard issues between the IAEA and Iran under the NPT agreement. The IAEA has lost its oversight of the production of centrifuges and their inventory, rotors and bellows, heavy water, and uranium ore concentrate in Iran. Iran states that it has declared all necessary nuclear materials, activities, and sites under the NPT agreement with the IAEA.
He further said that Iran, which has announced the suspension of the implementation of Modified Code 3.1, still does not fulfill this legal obligation. These remaining safeguard issues stem from Iran’s commitments under its comprehensive safeguards agreement and must be resolved for the IAEA to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.
The Director General of the IAEA also stated that no progress has been made in the past 15 months regarding the implementation of the joint statement of March 4, 2023. I urge Iran to implement the joint statement by seriously applying the specific proposals of the joint statement with the IAEA.
Regarding interaction with Masoud Pezeshkian, the new president of Iran, he said, after the elections in Iran, I exchanged messages with President Pezeshkian and expressed my readiness to meet him in Tehran to resume dialogues and cooperation between the IAEA and Iran. He agreed that we meet at an appropriate time.
Grossi, requesting that this meeting take place as soon as possible, said, I urge Iran to arrange this meeting in the not-too-distant future so that we can have constructive dialogues that quickly lead to tangible results.
Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in his weekly press conference yesterday, in response to the question of whether Tehran has responded to the remarks of Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, regarding the necessity to increase pressure on Iran, said, We have responded to Mr. Grossi’s remarks within the framework of meetings held at the IAEA headquarters. Also, through diplomatic channels and from the Atomic Energy Organization, Iran’s positions against Mr. Grossi’s remarks have been presented, and a clear and transparent response has been given, and Iran’s positions have been clarified.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran also, in this meeting, in response to a question about whether the fourteenth government has announced its readiness to hold negotiations to revive the JCPOA, and whether Tehran has observed or received any signals of such willingness from the JCPOA’s other parties, said, The positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the JCPOA are clear.
The JCPOA is a collective agreement, and all member countries of this agreement had commitments, and Iran was the only member that fulfilled its commitments.
Kanaani continued, The revival of this agreement is based on the return of the other parties to their commitments within the framework of the JCPOA, and this agreement can only be revived when all parties return to their commitments.