Iran's representative to the United Nations, Majid Takht-Ravanchi, stated, "There is no sense in returning to the nuclear agreement without verifying Washington's seriousness in lifting the sanctions."
Al Jazeera reported today that the Iranian representative at the UN said, "If the oil sanctions are lifted, the revenues must return to Iran through the global banking system," adding that Europeans have not compensated Iran for Washington's withdrawal from the agreement but have also failed in their commitments.
In a related context, Reuters reported that diplomats said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) found traces of uranium at two Iranian sites inspected last year after months of delays. The diplomats added that the agency intends to reprimand Tehran for failing to explain the presence of these traces at the sites, which could complicate U.S. efforts to revive nuclear diplomacy.
The material was discovered during a surprise inspection at the two sites in August and September after Iran had blocked inspections for seven months. Four diplomats familiar with the agency's work told Reuters that the substance found in those samples is uranium; however, it is un-enriched.
The agency noted that it suspects one of the sites was used for uranium transformation, a step prior to enrichment, while the other was used for detonation tests. Although it is believed the two sites where traces of uranium were found have been inactive for about two decades, opponents of the nuclear agreement, including Israel, argue that the evidence of undeclared nuclear activities proves that Iran is not acting in good faith.
