Iran has failed to explain the traces of uranium discovered by IAEA inspectors at several undeclared sites, according to a quarterly report issued by the UN body on Monday.
The revelation could spark a new diplomatic clash between Tehran and the West that could derail negotiations over the Nuclear file.
Three months ago, the United Kingdom, France and Germany rejected a US-backed plan for the International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board of governors to criticize Iran for failing to fully explain the source of the nuclear material particles. The three countries eventually backed down, and the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, announced further talks with Iran.
Several months later, Iran has not provided the necessary explanation for the presence of nuclear material particles in any of the three places where the IAEA has made supplementary arrivals. [inspecções]Said a report Grossi sent to the member states that Reuters had access to.
It is now up to the three European powers to decide whether to demand a resolution critical of Iran, which could undermine broader negotiations to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Grossi expects progress will be made before the Governing Council meeting next week.
“The Director General is concerned that the technical discussions between the agency and Iran have not yielded the expected results,” the report said.
“The lack of progress in clarifying the Agency’s issues regarding the validity and integrity of Iran’s safeguards seriously affects the agency’s ability to give assurances regarding the peaceful nature of the Iranian nuclear program.”
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