Iran turned off some cameras at a nuclear site after Western powers accused Tehran of not cooperating with the IAEA.
Tehran, Iran – Iran turned off some cameras installed by the global nuclear watchdog after the introduction by Western powers resolved to censor it.
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on Wednesday announced that it had shut down its Online Enrichment Monitoring System (OLEM) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) flowmeters at one site. unspecified kernel.
The AEOI said all of the dismantled surveillance systems were installed voluntarily and outside the framework of the protection agreement with the IAEA.
The AEOI statement adds that more than 80 percent of the existing IAEA cameras are covered by the protection agreement and therefore remain in place and in operation.
“Unfortunately, if it does not consider the cooperation of the Islamic Republic of Iran to be in bad faith, the agency not only does not appreciate it but considers it an obligation of Iran,” it said.
The organization said the IAEA was notified of the move, which appeared to have been made on Wednesday.
It came as a response to a resolution submitted by the United States and its European allies to the IAEA panel on Tuesday.
In its resolution, it expressed “deep concern” about Iran’s nuclear advances and inadequate cooperation as outlined in two confidential IAEA reports released last week.
It said Iran’s possession of 60 percent enriched uranium, in addition to the deployment of 2,000 advanced centrifuges and extensive research and development, was cause for great concern and was “promoting mistrust.” about Iran’s intentions”.
They also assert that Iran’s nuclear activities have no civil justification and are making it more difficult to roll back the country’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. .
The United States unilaterally gave up nuclear deal, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018 and imposed harsh sanctions on Tehran. Iran began gradually advancing its nuclear program a year later while maintaining that it was completely at peace.
Last year, after a top nuclear scientist was assassinated near Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel, Iran’s parliament passed a law forcing the government to increase enrichment and also dismantle some IAEA cameras.
Iran and the IAEA eventually reached an agreement to keep the cameras and recordings intact, but Iran will only have to hand over the tapes after the JCPOA is restored and sanctions lifted.
Iran and the agency have also disagreed over particles found at several nuclear sites. The IAEA said in its latest report that Iran had not provided a full explanation, while Iran accused the agency of acting under political pressure.
Indirect negotiations between Iran and the United States have stalled in recent months as the two sides have failed to agree on what sanctions should be lifted in the event the JCPOA is reinstated.
