Negative report by Grossi
In his opening remarks at the IAEA Board of Governors’ quarterly meeting, which has been ongoing for a few days and continues until today, Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made claims about Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, according to Iran Gate report.
Referring to his quarterly report on Iran’s nuclear program, Grossi stated that Iran’s enriched uranium reserves are still increasing, with 20% and 60% enrichment levels. He mentioned that Iran has increased the number of cascades used for UF6 production. It has been three and a half years since Iran suspended implementing its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA, including the Additional Protocol, so the IAEA has been without complementary access to Iran for three and a half years.
The Director General of the agency claimed that no progress has been made in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues with Iran under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. The agency has lost continuity of its verification activities regarding the production of centrifuges, their components, heavy water, and uranium concentrate in Iran. Iran has declared that all its nuclear materials and facilities essential for safeguards activities have been declared under the Additional Protocol with the agency.
He further stated that Iran, which has announced the suspension of the implementation of Code 3.1, has not yet fulfilled its legal obligation. These remaining safeguards issues stem from Iran’s commitments under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and must be resolved for the agency to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful.
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency also mentioned the lack of progress in the past 15 months in implementing the Joint Statement by the agency and Iran from March 4, 2023. I urge Iran to implement the Joint Statement by taking concrete steps as outlined in the Joint Statement to address the lack of progress in its implementation.
He talked about interacting with Masoud Pezeshkian, the new Vice President of Iran, after the elections in Iran. I exchanged messages with Vice President Pezeshkian and expressed my readiness to meet him in Tehran to resume discussions and collaboration between the agency and Iran. He agreed to meet at a suitable time.
Grossi requested to arrange this meeting as soon as possible. I want this meeting to take place in the near future so that we can have constructive discussions that lead to real results quickly.
Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, responded yesterday in his weekly press conference to the question of whether Tehran had responded to Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, regarding the need to intensify pressure on Iran. He said that we have responded to Mr. Grossi’s statements in the meetings held at the agency’s headquarters. Iran’s positions have been raised diplomatically and by the IAEA, providing a clear and transparent response to these statements and clarifying Iran’s positions.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran also stated in response to a question about the readiness of the 14th government to hold negotiations to revive the JCPOA, whether Tehran has also observed such intentions from the opposite parties of the JCPOA, said the positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran regarding the JCPOA are clear.
The JCPOA is a collective agreement and the member countries of this agreement all had obligations, and Iran was the only member that fulfilled its commitments.
Kanaani continued that reviving this agreement is based on the return of the opposite parties to their commitments within the framework of the JCPOA, and this agreement can only be revived when all parties return to their commitments.
