UN nuclear agency chief leaves Iran with no agreement

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Chief Rafael Grossi visited Tehran yesterday to resolve outstanding issues over inspections between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog. During press conferences in Tehran with the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency Mohammad Eslami and foreign minister Amir Abdollahian, Grossi struck an upbeat tone about the important work ahead.

However, back in Vienna Grossi spoke with more urgency about the outstanding issues between the two sides, especially over the access to cameras at Karaj nuclear facility.

Grossi said that the talks in Tehran were “constructive” and “professional” but added that the two sides could not reach an agreement. He warned that if there was not a deal soon, the IAEA “would not be able to guarantee continuity of knowledge.” 

The cameras in question were partially destroyed in a sabotage attack, most likely carried out by Israel, and the footage is gone with them. The IAEA and Iran had previously struck deals regarding the cameras at nuclear facilities which stated that Iran could continue to record but hold on to the footage until sanctions were removed. After the US exited the nuclear deal in 2018 and reapplied sanctions, Iran took a series of steps away from full compliance of the terms in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. One of those was reducing cooperation with the IAEA.