Iran
Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, northeast of the city of Qom, seen in a satellite image on December 11, 2020. Photo: Maxar Technologies
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United States and European allies on Saturday criticized as “inadequate” Tehran’s response to a recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Iran’s nuclear program.
In an unannounced inspection of Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant two weeks ago, the UN's nuclear watchdog found that Iran had modified an interconnection between centrifuge clusters that was enriching uranium up to 60 percent without declaring it to the agency. In reply, Iran claimed that the adjustments at Fordow were accidentally marked as undeclared by an IAEA inspector and that the issue was later resolved.
"Iranian claims that this action was carried out in error are inadequate. We judge Iran's actions based on the impartial and objective reports of the IAEA, not Iran's purported intent," reads a joint statement from the US, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
"We recall that the production of high-enriched uranium by Iran at the Fordow Enrichment Plant carries significant proliferation-related risks and is without any credible civilian justification," the statement read, adding that Tehran’s actions are “concerning” as "it has stopped the implementation of its commitments on transparency and verification under the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]."
The nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, was signed between the UK, France, China, Germany, Russia, Iran, and the US in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to ensure that it does not enrich enough uranium to manufacture an atomic bomb. The US under former president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed biting sanctions on Iran in an effort to renegotiate a broader deal. In response, Tehran embarked on a campaign of rolling back on its nuclear commitments.
Sporadic EU-mediated talks have been held since April 2021 to restore the JCPOA, but have yet to bear fruit.
In an unannounced inspection of Iran's Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant two weeks ago, the UN's nuclear watchdog found that Iran had modified an interconnection between centrifuge clusters that was enriching uranium up to 60 percent without declaring it to the agency. In reply, Iran claimed that the adjustments at Fordow were accidentally marked as undeclared by an IAEA inspector and that the issue was later resolved.
"Iranian claims that this action was carried out in error are inadequate. We judge Iran's actions based on the impartial and objective reports of the IAEA, not Iran's purported intent," reads a joint statement from the US, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom.
"We recall that the production of high-enriched uranium by Iran at the Fordow Enrichment Plant carries significant proliferation-related risks and is without any credible civilian justification," the statement read, adding that Tehran’s actions are “concerning” as "it has stopped the implementation of its commitments on transparency and verification under the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]."
The nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, was signed between the UK, France, China, Germany, Russia, Iran, and the US in 2015, offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program to ensure that it does not enrich enough uranium to manufacture an atomic bomb. The US under former president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal in 2018 and imposed biting sanctions on Iran in an effort to renegotiate a broader deal. In response, Tehran embarked on a campaign of rolling back on its nuclear commitments.
Sporadic EU-mediated talks have been held since April 2021 to restore the JCPOA, but have yet to bear fruit.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment