Europe exploiting IAEA reports to rail against Iran’s nuclear program: Nuclear chief
Iran’s nuclear chief says European powers consistently take advantage of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s reports about Iran’s nuclear activities without acknowledging their failure to honor a 2015 international nuclear deal with the country, known as the JCPOA.
“The noise that European countries, especially the three European countries, make every three months is [by taking advantage of] the reports related to the JCPOA document,” Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), told reporters on the sidelines of a cabinet session on Wednesday, while making a reference Britain, Germany and France as parties to the JCPOA.
He lamented the fact that the IAEA is not tasked with reporting on the non-compliance of the other JCPOA parties while Iran itself is required to report all its nuclear activities.
Back in 2015, Iran agreed to limit certain aspects of its nuclear program in exchange for the termination of the “crippling sanctions” targeting its economy. The agreement – the JCPOA – was struck by Iran and six world powers that also includes US, Russia, China. However, the US scrapped the deal in 2018 and restored the anti-Iran sanctions despite Tehran’s full compliance with the JPCOA.
“We accepted those restrictions and conditions so that you terminate the sanctions, but when you do not terminate the sanctions, we respond in accordance with the JCPOA and the Safeguards Agreement,” he said, referring to Iran’s reduction of its nuclear commitments under the provisions of the deal.
“We are a member of the Safeguards Agreement. We cooperate with the agency according to the safeguards, and the agency monitors our activities according to the safeguards by installing cameras and sending inspectors.”
Eslami further said Iran has never violated the Safeguards Agreement and will not do so.