The United States has called on Iran to cooperate immediately with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding undisclosed nuclear materials, at a time when Tehran has decided to cease its work under the additional protocol of the nuclear agreement.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price noted in a press conference today that the IAEA is continuing investigations into several serious issues related to potential undisclosed nuclear materials in Iran. Price emphasized the necessity for Iran to collaborate with the agency to resolve these issues without any delay.
France, Britain, and Germany expressed, in a joint statement, their regret over Iran's decision to limit international inspections, urging Iran to cooperate fully with the IAEA. The statement from the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, and France called on Iran to reverse all measures that reduce transparency, halt its recent actions regarding inspections of its reactors, and cooperate with the IAEA. The joint statement from London, Berlin, and Paris described Iran's recent actions to stop compliance with surprise inspections of its reactors as a violation of the nuclear agreement.
The joint statement from London, Berlin, and Paris confirmed their attempts to preserve the Iranian nuclear agreement through negotiations aimed at restoring Washington and Tehran’s commitments to it. Meanwhile, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed that the nuclear agreement is a product of diplomatic effort that they take pride in, and emphasized the importance of restoring the nuclear agreement to its correct course and building trust among its parties.
Regarding relations with Russia, Borrell revealed that the U.S. requested the EU to coordinate stances on Russia, indicating that additional Russian figures will be added to the European sanctions list. Tehran had previously announced it was considering a proposal from the EU to participate in an informal meeting attended by the U.S. with the other members of the nuclear agreement, while an Iranian official asserted that returning to the agreement would be meaningless without verifying Washington's seriousness.
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the country is reviewing the EU's proposal to hold a meeting involving both Washington and Tehran. On the other hand, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. is prepared to reach a binding agreement with Iran if it returns to compliance with its obligations.
As of the first minute of this morning, Iran halted operations under the additional protocol of the nuclear agreement, which allows the IAEA to conduct surprise inspections at Iranian nuclear facilities, in accordance with a law passed by the Iranian parliament last year. Nevertheless, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi announced the day before yesterday that a temporary agreement has been reached with Iran to continue inspection activities at Iranian nuclear facilities for three months.
Grossi stated in a statement during his visit to Tehran, broadcast by Iranian television: "We agreed with Iran that the agency will continue necessary verification and monitoring activities for up to three months." He noted that "the agreement with Iran limits the access of agency inspectors to Iranian nuclear facilities."
