Iran says JCPOA cameras to return only after nuclear talks bear fruit

Mohammad Eslami says Iran has been facing accusations on its nuclear program for the past 20 years and signed up to the JCPOA to end those accusations.

This, he said, was aimed at removing the pretexts used to take Iran’s case to the UN Security Council and issue resolutions and sanctions against Iran.

Eslami says despite Iran’s trust-building steps and slowdown on its nuclear activities under the JCPOA, “the other party has not stayed committed” to its obligations.

The Iranian nuclear chief added that Iran has never acted on its nuclear enrichment and other nuclear-related measures without coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the entire nuclear program of Iran remains under the agency’s supervision within the framework of the Safeguard Agreement.

He stressed that the removed cameras are only those installed under the nuclear deal for additional trust-building.

“The so-called JCPOA cameras installed beyond the requirements of the Safeguard Agreement are linked to the nuclear deal. If the other parties would return to the agreement, and they once more close the PMD case just as they did in the JCPOA, they can rest assured that we will move to take the appropriate decision when we are persuaded that there is no mischief at work,” He said.

Last week, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi once more talked about Iran’s nuclear program claiming it is “galloping ahead”, and that the agency has limited visibility into what is happening.

Iran has hit back at Grossi saying those comments are beyond his technical capacity and politicized.