Tehran Signals Of Possible Strain In IAEA Ties Amid Looming Resolution

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 9. Tehran will cut cooperation with the agency in retaliation if a resolution against Iran is passed at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting, said Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.

Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Baghaei stated that Iran has outlined several responses as countermeasures.

“The other parties are well aware of Iran's capabilities and potential,” he said, adding that decisions regarding these actions will be made in coordination with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) and other relevant bodies.

Baghaei reiterated that Iran's stance has always been to cooperate with the IAEA in the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and safeguards agreements. He emphasized that over the past two years, Iran has taken significant steps toward collaboration with the IAEA. However, he lamented that the agency had prepared a report under pressure from three European countries and the U.S., which was subsequently exploited by those countries to draft a resolution targeting Iran.

On January 16, 2016, the JCPOA came into force between Iran and the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany) regarding Iran's nuclear program. However, on May 8, 2018, the US withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions on Iran starting from November 2018.

By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions, leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.

Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.

The IAEA stated in its latest report that as of May 17, 2024, Iran had 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. The amount of uranium enriched to 60 percent increased by 133.8 kilograms compared to the report given in February. The report considered that enrichment at this level was a short technical step to the 90 percent enrichment level (considered weapons-grade). The agency called on Iran to cooperate fully and effectively.

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