Iran removes two IAEA cameras in response to IAEA behavior
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Iran's Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) announces the removal of two cameras that were beyond the safeguards agreement.
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AEOI spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) released a statement on Wednesday, wherein it announced that Tehran has made the decision to remove two of the IAEA's cameras from a nuclear facility.
The cameras were stopped as they were not part of Iran's commitment to the comprehensive Safeguards agreement.
A draft resolution was submitted to the IAEA board by the US, Britain, Germany, and France, criticizing Iran for what they claim were incomplete answers given to the IAEA on uranium traces at "undeclared sites."
Little change was made from a draft circulated last week, according to Reuters. The submission of the text means it will be debated and voted on at the quarterly meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation board of governors, which is set to take place this week.
Some diplomats have said that this resolution will pass easily, despite Iran's warning that such a move undermines the Vienna Talks to revive the nuclear deal.
The chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Vahid Jalalzadeh said on Tuesday that Grossi's visit to "Israel" ahead of the IAEA board meeting "proved for the umpteenth time that [the IAEA] has become a political organization rather than a technical one."
AEOI statement
The AEOI released a statement on Wednesday, wherein it said that “Iran has so far had extensive cooperation with the IAEA, but unfortunately the IAEA, without considering that this cooperation is due to Iran's goodwill, not only did not appreciate it but also considered it Iran's duty. For this reason, it was decided to stop the operation of the OLEM (Online Enrichment Monitor) enrichment surface line measurement camera and the IAEA flowmeter from today, which has been ordered by the relevant authorities."
An AEOI official said that 80% of the IAEA's cameras are still operational in Iran's nuclear facilities.
The Iranian organization's spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi, said all beyond-Safeguards cameras recording data in Iran's nuclear sites were turned off “In accordance with the Strategic Law on the Lifting of Sanctions approved by the Majlis (Parliament)."
Kamalvandi further added that "Iran cannot be cooperative while the Agency displays unreasonable behavior. We hope the Agency will come to its senses and respond with cooperation with Iran."
