Tehran:
Iran mentioned Monday it had taken “no decision” to delete footage from surveillance cameras installed at some of its atomic power facilities by the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA. The problem is aspect of broader talks underway in Vienna aiming to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that has been hanging by a thread due to the fact former president Donald Trump withdrew the US from it 3 years ago.
“No decision has been taken on the deletion of the data” recorded by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) cameras, mentioned Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.
After Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in between Iran and significant powers and ramped up punishing sanctions, the Islamic republic has taken methods away from its nuclear commitments.
Late last year, the conservative-dominated parliament passed a law that led Iran to restrict access to some of its nuclear facilities for IAEA inspectors from February.
Iran’s moderate President Hassan Rouhani advised against the step, but the government followed by way of on the legislature’s demand.
Tehran also denied the IAEA access to video recordings from monitoring gear that the UN agency had installed at its web sites to confirm compliance.
The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran mentioned the cameras would hold operating, but that the withheld footage would be deleted if US sanctions had been not lifted inside 3 months.
This period was later extended by a month but expired on June 24.
Since then, the IAEA has insisted on the “vital importance” that Iran extend the period once more and urged Tehran to inform it no matter whether it intends to do so.
But Tehran’s response has been slow in coming.
“I insist that no negative or positive decision regarding the cameras and the previous agreement with the agency has been taken,” Khatibzadeh mentioned on Monday.
The choice is the duty of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, which is not recognized to have held a meeting on the topic due to the fact June 24.
The French foreign ministry referred to as on Iran to resume cooperation with the IAEA and restore access “immediately and fully”.
“We fully support the efforts of the IAEA to verify… Iran’s respect for its nuclear commitments,” it mentioned.
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