Iran says nuclear site images won't be given to IAEA
The speaker of Iran's parliament said on Sunday that because a monitoring deal with the UN nuclear watchdog had expired, Tehran will never pass over images from inside some Iranian nuclear installations to the agency.
-
Qalibaf: “Data and images will remain in the possession of Iran.”
The speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran, Muhammad Baqir Qalibaf, said that "Iran will not pass over surveillance camera data to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), adding that the "strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions is still valid."
“The agreement has expired ... any of the information recorded will never be given to the International Atomic Energy Agency and the data and images will remain in the possession of Iran,” said Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
"I have already alluded to the law of the strategic initiative to lift the embargo and the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency," the speaker of the Iranian parliament answered in response to a query from one of the Iranian legislators.
"Any data submitted to the IAEA will stay in the Islamic Republic's custody," Qalibaf added.
Furthermore, he explained that this law was approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly and is being strictly implemented.
In February, Iran's parliament passed a bill that suspended UN inspections of its nuclear facilities.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Saturday, "We still believe that the Vienna agreement is possible, provided that the United States abandons the failed legacy of former US President Donald Trump."
On his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that it would become "very hard" to return to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement if negotiations in Vienna continue without progress.
"There will come a point, yes, where it will be tough to return back to the standards set by the [deal]," Blinken added. "We haven't reached that point – I can't put a date on it – but it's something that we're conscious of."
