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.
