Illustrative image
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran have agreed to extend a temporary technical agreement on monitoring at the Iranian nuclear facilities until June 24, according to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. A three-month monitoring deal between Tehran and the UN‘s International Atomic Energy Agency expired on May 23.
As a result of talks held by Rafael Grossi with the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi, the parties managed to agree on the extension of the agreement for a month.
“We were able to agree on a couple of things which are related, as you know, to this temporary technical understanding which we reached last February in Tehran,” Grossi said. “Number one, that the information collected by our technical equipment in different locations … is going to be saved and will continue to be under the custody of the agency,” he said. “Number two, that the equipment and verification and monitoring activities that we agreed will continue as they are now for one month expiring on 24 June, 2021.”
On May 8, 2018, former US President Donald Trump announced Washington’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran and the introduction of the first package of sanctions against Iran. In response to the sanctions, Tehran abandoned its obligations under the nuclear agreement in2020 and increased the level of uranium enrichment.
Joe Biden, after coming to power in the United States, announced his intention to return to the nuclear deal on the condition that Iran will comply with all the terms of the agreement. Currently, the United States and Iran, with the participation of the 4 + 1 group, are holding indirect negotiations on a nuclear agreement in Vienna.
