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IAEA: ‘It is critical to continue monitoring nuclear activities in Iran’

June 26, 2021 at 1:42 pm

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Mariano Grossi (C-L) listens the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, , who virtually attends the 64th General Conference of the IAEA at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria on September 21, 2020 [Aşkın Kıyağan – Anadolu Agency]

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that the Iranian government has not responded to the monitoring agreement, stressing the need to maintain the verification of Iran’s nuclear activities.

The United Nations (UN) agency announced in a statement issued on Friday that Iran did not respond to the initiative to extend the nuclear activities control agreement, which expired on 25 June, indicating: “It is necessary for Iran to provide an immediate response on this issue.”

The agency Director-General Rafael Grossi stressed the “vital importance” of continuing the verification and monitoring activities in Iran and collecting data on some nuclear facilities under the provisions of the agreement.

The IAEA had previously reached a technical agreement with Iran in February 2021 to monitor nuclear activities in the country, which was extended for a month in May.

This took place after the Iranian authorities decided to suspend the Additional Protocol to the safeguards agreement with the agency in response to the US’ refusal to cancel the economic sanctions imposed on Iran after former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Tehran in 2018.

READ: Nuclear deal must wait for new Iran gov’t, IAEA says