The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has demanded that Iran grant access to two locations suspected of hosting undeclared nuclear materials. Iranian officials claim the allegations are based on faulty data from Israel.
The IAEA Board of Governors urged Iran to “fully cooperate” and “without further delay” allow inspectors to check the two unspecified sites, after a resolution tabled by Britain, Germany, and France.
Earlier, media reports said the sites the IAEA wants to examine are believed to have been active in the early 2000s, with one of them partially dismantled in 2004.
Iranian officials have consistently argued that the IAEA’s suspicions are based on inaccurate data put forward by Israel. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi called the adoption of the resolution targeting Iran an “unconstructive decision.”
On Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned the nuclear watchdog against allowing the “enemies” of the 2015 nuclear deal to “jeopardize” Iran’s interests. “We’ve nothing to hide. More inspections in Iran over last 5 yrs than in IAEA history,” Zarif tweeted.
The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), has been in limbo since US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew two years ago. Trump accused Iran of secretly violating the deal and cited broader mistrust toward the Islamic Republic. Iran has repeatedly denied allegations that it breached the agreement, and the IAEA confirmed at the time that the country was complying with the terms.
The abandonment of the JCPOA by the US was heavily criticized by the EU, China and Russia, all of whom are still signatories to the deal.
The US has since imposed several rounds of sanctions on Iran, targeting its oil trade and other sectors. In response, Tehran began to gradually scale back its own commitments under the JCPOA, but has stopped short of completely abandoning it.
Officials in Tehran have said they would return to full compliance if the EU were to provide relief from US sanctions. However, European efforts to bypass the restrictions have so far proved largely ineffective, prompting Iranian officials to accuse them of inaction.
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