IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said Tehran had not cooperated with the watchdog after detecting traces of enriched uranium.
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog has said he is “extremely concerned” by Iran’s lack of cooperation regarding its nuclear activities as EU envoy Enrique Mora. will visit Tehran to save stalled nuclear deal negotiations.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is “trying to clarify some of the issues that are still open with Iran,” agency head Rafael Grossi told a European Parliament committee on Tuesday.
“I am referring to the fact that we, over the past few months, have been able to identify traces of enriched uranium in places that have never been claimed by Iran to be where any activity is taking place,” he said. out.
“The situation doesn’t look very good. Iran, for the time being, is not providing the kind of information we need from them… We are extremely concerned about this,” he said.
Talks between world powers and Iran have stalled since mid-March as negotiators sought to return to the landmark 2015 deal that cut Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange take sanctions.
Negotiations have largely stalled due to Tehran’s insistence on asking Washington to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the country’s elite security force, from its List of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. FTO) of the US.
EU diplomat Mora, who chaired the negotiations, will visit Tehran this weekIran made the announcement on Monday, as the United States – which is seeking to return to the deal it unilaterally left in 2018 – expressed hope for progress.
Iran has been building up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium since former President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018, which had limited Tehran’s nuclear ambitions.
Western officials have lost hope that the deal can be revived, sources familiar with the matter said, forcing them to consider how to limit Iran’s nuclear program even as Russia invades Ukraine. divided the great powers.
The IAEA and Iran announced in March that they had agreed on an approach to address key issues to revive the 2015 nuclear accord.
At the time, Grossi said the UN agency and Iran had “decided to try a pragmatic, pragmatic approach” to overcome “several important issues”.
Some documents will be exchanged between the two sides before May 22.
The aim is to address the IAEA’s outstanding questions about the past presence of nuclear material at undeclared sites in Iran.
“Iran should be at the forefront of our concerns, despite the drama going on in Ukraine,” Mr. Grossi said on Tuesday, referring to Russia’s invasion of Russia. Neighbor country.
He said talks to restore the nuclear deal were “on hold” but the Vienna-based IAEA “still hopes of course that some agreement will be reached within a reasonable timeframe”.
“Although we have to realize that the opportunity could close at any time,” he added.
