Iran
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaking during a press conference in Tehran on May 8, 2022. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The goal of the United States in presenting a motion to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was to obtain political concession in the talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, the Iranian foreign minister said on Thursday, days after the UN nuclear watchdog approved a resolution rebuking Iran for not cooperating with the agency.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday discussed the recent US proposal to the IAEA against Iran and its impact on the talks to reinstate the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.
“While the exchange of messages through the European Union’s representative continued between the US and Iran, the White House suddenly came up with the idea of the adoption of a resolution at the IAEA,” Amir-Abdollahian said in the phone call, according to the Iranian foreign ministry, adding that “the goal that the US sought through presenting a resolution at the IAEA is to gain political concessions [from Iran] at the negotiating table [in Vienna].”
Last week, the IAEA raised concerns about traces of enriched uranium previously found at three sites Tehran had not declared as having hosted nuclear activities. A motion to censure Iran over its lack of cooperation was submitted earlier this month by Britain, Germany, France, and the US, and was later adopted by the UN watchdog.
Amir-Abdollahian stated that Iran has consistently pursued a diplomatic path with the West, but in response to the recent “unconstructive behavior” from the US, the country has decided to boost its “peaceful nuclear activity within the framework of the law passed by the [Iranian] parliament.”
In anticipation of the ratification of the resolution from the agency, Iran said last week that it had disconnected some IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites.
The Iranian parliament passed a law in 2020, tasking the government with restricting the IAEA’s inspections and accelerating the development of the country’s nuclear program beyond the limits set by the JCPOA.
“We consider diplomacy as the best path in order to reach a good, strong and stable agreement. However, in the face of arrogant behavior, our reaction will be based on steadfastness,” Amir-Abdollahian added.
The JCPOA was agreed upon between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
When former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed stiff economic sanctions, Tehran embarked upon the process of rolling back on its nuclear commitments.
Iran and world powers, including the US, have held talks for over a year aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, with Iran insisting that the US must lift its crippling sanctions, including those on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and provide a guarantee that future US administrations will not be able to withdraw from the deal.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Thursday discussed the recent US proposal to the IAEA against Iran and its impact on the talks to reinstate the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein.
“While the exchange of messages through the European Union’s representative continued between the US and Iran, the White House suddenly came up with the idea of the adoption of a resolution at the IAEA,” Amir-Abdollahian said in the phone call, according to the Iranian foreign ministry, adding that “the goal that the US sought through presenting a resolution at the IAEA is to gain political concessions [from Iran] at the negotiating table [in Vienna].”
Last week, the IAEA raised concerns about traces of enriched uranium previously found at three sites Tehran had not declared as having hosted nuclear activities. A motion to censure Iran over its lack of cooperation was submitted earlier this month by Britain, Germany, France, and the US, and was later adopted by the UN watchdog.
Amir-Abdollahian stated that Iran has consistently pursued a diplomatic path with the West, but in response to the recent “unconstructive behavior” from the US, the country has decided to boost its “peaceful nuclear activity within the framework of the law passed by the [Iranian] parliament.”
In anticipation of the ratification of the resolution from the agency, Iran said last week that it had disconnected some IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites.
The Iranian parliament passed a law in 2020, tasking the government with restricting the IAEA’s inspections and accelerating the development of the country’s nuclear program beyond the limits set by the JCPOA.
“We consider diplomacy as the best path in order to reach a good, strong and stable agreement. However, in the face of arrogant behavior, our reaction will be based on steadfastness,” Amir-Abdollahian added.
The JCPOA was agreed upon between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.
When former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed stiff economic sanctions, Tehran embarked upon the process of rolling back on its nuclear commitments.
Iran and world powers, including the US, have held talks for over a year aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, with Iran insisting that the US must lift its crippling sanctions, including those on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and provide a guarantee that future US administrations will not be able to withdraw from the deal.
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