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The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued a clarification on the results of the talks held by the Director General of the International Agency, Rafael Grossi, in Tehran yesterday (Sunday, February 21, 2021). The Iranian organization noted that the visit of the Director General of the International Agency took place at his request. The organization said Iran and the Agency “have agreed to completely cease the application of the additional protocol and access operations (to nuclear facilities) stipulated in the nuclear agreement. Iran’s obligations will be fulfilled only under the safeguards agreement. Consequently, according to the law approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly. The agency will not have access (to the facilities) outside the safeguards agreement, nor will any inspection be carried out outside the safeguards agreement. “
He explained, according to the news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRNA), that “what is meant by the continuation of the necessary verification and monitoring processes contained in article 2 of the communiqué (issued after the talks), as explained in the annex to the agreement, is that Iran, within three months, will record the information of some activities and monitoring equipment specified in the appendix and will remain there. During this period, the agency will not have access to this information and will remain with Iran. only. If the sanctions are completely lifted within three months, Iran will make this information available to the agency. Apart from this, the information will be deleted forever. ” Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said that “due to security considerations and the need to maintain the secrecy of major Iranian facilities, the appendix to the statement that includes a list of the names of these facilities will remain secret.”
Grossi said yesterday that Iran and the International Agency had reached a temporary agreement on the continuation of nuclear inspections, but that access to Iranian nuclear facilities would be reduced. Grossi said: “There will be less access, but we can still maintain the necessary degree of monitoring and verification” in Iran. In response to the question of whether he could still verify whether Iran’s nuclear activities were purely peaceful or aimed at building nuclear weapons, he said: “Not like before, but satisfactorily.”
It should be noted that the unlimited access of inspectors to Iran’s nuclear facilities on the basis of the Additional Protocol of the International Atomic Energy Agency is part of the Iran nuclear deal reached in 2015, which was aimed at preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. . Without this availability, there is nothing left in the deal. In 2018, the administration of former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal, which was aimed at preventing Tehran from obtaining a nuclear arsenal in exchange for financial benefits. Iran responded by reducing its obligations under the agreement. Iran claims it is ready to return to all its obligations on the condition that President Joe Biden return to the 2015 nuclear deal and lift the sanctions imposed by Trump.
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