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Iranian Parliament Holds Closed Meeting to Discuss Agreement with IAEA

Iranian Parliament Holds Closed Meeting to Discuss Agreement with IAEA

The Iranian Parliament is holding a closed meeting today to discuss the agreement signed yesterday, Sunday, between the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), amidst criticism of the agreement.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf stated, "According to Parliament law, the implementation of the Additional Protocol will completely cease on February 23." He added that "any inspections outside the Safeguards Agreement are prohibited and illegal." Qalibaf also indicated that "according to Article 7 of the law, any cooperation with the IAEA outside the Safeguards Agreement in the future requires Parliament's approval, and Article 9 of the law ensures its strict application." Notably, 226 members of the Iranian Parliament signed a statement yesterday affirming the need to stop the implementation of the Additional Protocol related to the nuclear agreement on February 23. Meanwhile, the new agreement with the IAEA stipulates the continuation of Iranian cooperation.

Yesterday, Rafael Grossi, the Director of the IAEA, announced that the agency reached an agreement with Iran to continue "necessary" inspection activities. Grossi added that the agency obtained a "good and reasonable result" from the talks in Iran, noting that they agreed with Iran to continue the necessary verification and monitoring activities for up to three months. This agreement comes after Tehran reduced its cooperation this week, and Grossi stated that the agency's access to Iranian sites "will be at a reduced rate, and there will be no more surprise inspections."

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