Relaunching the nuclear deal will only haveno Senswithout the closure of the investigation of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the undeclared sites of Iran, estimated Monday August 29 the Iranian president Ebrahim Raïssi.
“We have emphasized in the negotiations that all issues [liées à l’AIEA] must be resolved“, he said during a press conference, because “without the resolution of these issues, talking about an agreement is meaningless“. During discussions in Vienna to relaunch the so-called JCPOA agreement, Tehran had already demanded that the IAEA complete its investigation into traces of enriched uranium found at three undeclared sites.
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The UN nuclear policeman urged Iran in June to “cooperate“, deploring the absence of answers”crediblefrom Tehran regarding these traces. Questioned last week by CNN, the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi replied that he did not count “absolutely not» stop the investigation. “This idea that politically we are going to stop doing our job is unacceptable to us“, he added.
Iran wants the issue to be settled as part of negotiations to revive the 2015 deal, which aims to ensure the civilian character of Iran’s nuclear program. Former President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from this agreement in 2018. Washington indicated on August 24 that Iran had made concessions on key points, including its request to block certain IAEA inspections, without however specifying which ones.
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On August 8, the European Union had submitted to the Iranians and the Americans a “final versionof an agreement providing for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iran, particularly on oil, in exchange for drastic restrictions on its nuclear program. Hopes of a return to the agreement have been revived in recent days when Washington said it had responded to the European proposal. Tehran replied that it wouldcarefully consider the advice of the United Statesand would then transmit “his opinion to the coordinatorfrom the EU, Josep Borrell.
On Monday, Ebrahim Raïsi rejected the idea of a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the United Nations General Assembly which will open on September 13 in New York. “There is no advantage to a meeting between me and him (…) there is no plan for such a meeting and there will be none“, Launched Ebrahim Raïssi. French President Emmanuel Macron estimated on Friday “the ball” was “in the camp of the Iranians“, judging that an agreement would be “useful” even if he “don’t fix everything“.
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