UN nuke watchdog chief in Iran: Any military attack on a nuclear facility is illegal

UN nuke watchdog chief in Iran: Any military attack on a nuclear facility is illegal

    Sunday, March 05, 2023   No comments

Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi says any military attack on nuclear facilities is outlawed, responding to US and Israeli threats to target those in Iran.

Grossi made the remarks in Tehran Saturday, in a joint news conference with head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami who urged the IAEA to help build trust.

The Biden administration has drawn closer to Israel in recent weeks, conducting large-scale joint military exercises with the regime.

“There are two separate issues in this regard. First, attacks on nuclear power plants have unfortunately become common, and this is due to the war in Ukraine. Second, these attacks have been condemned during the Agency’s public conferences. So I think that the attack on nuclear facilities is totally condemned and illegal,” Grossi said.

He is visiting Tehran after Western reports claimed that IAEA inspectors had found 84% enriched uranium in Iran – an allegation Tehran has rejected.

Eslami told reporters that the Islamic Republic is enriching uranium up to 60% fissile purity.

Grossi said he had “constructive discussions” with Iranian officials that could pave the way for the revival of a landmark 2015 agreement to bring the US back to compliance and remove sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

“By having a constructive discussion, like we are having now, and having good agreements, like I am sure we are going to have, we are going to be paving the way for important agreements,” he said.

Eslami called for the remaining signatories of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), namely France, Britain, Germany along with China and Russia, to fulfill their obligations.

“Three European and some other countries are just focusing on Iran’s JCPOA obligations,” he said. “They too have obligations that they need to adhere to.”

Eslami said, “We came to an arrangement (with Grossi) to define our cooperation within the framework of the safeguards.”

He called on the UN nuclear agency to avoid being swayed by those who aim to hinder cooperation between the two sides.

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Today, Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized the statements of the Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, in which he asserted that carrying out an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities was "illegal." Netanyahu said that Grossi was a worthy person, but he made inappropriate statements.

Grossi said during his visit to Tehran on Saturday - in response to a journalist's question about the threats of Tel Aviv and Washington to attack Iranian nuclear facilities if they consider that diplomatic means to prevent Tehran from acquiring an atomic bomb have reached a dead end - that "any military attack on nuclear facilities is prohibited." ".

Netanyahu said - at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting - that "Israel will continue to defend itself in the face of those who call for its annihilation and prepare for the slaughter of its citizens."

He added that his country "continues to work to confront Iran, through discussions and actions it is conducting around the clock."

The International Atomic Energy Agency issued yesterday from Vienna a joint statement with the Iranian Atomic Energy Agency at the end of Grossi's visit to Tehran.

The statement stated that Iran is ready to continue cooperation with the agency regarding 3 sites that the agency said were undeclared and where traces of uranium were found.

Iran has also indicated its willingness to provide more information and access to it in order to address the remaining safeguards issues.

The joint statement added that Iran will allow the IAEA, when needed, to carry out more verification and supervision activities in nuclear facilities, provided that the method for this is agreed upon during a technical meeting to be held in Tehran soon.

Grossi's visit came as negotiations aimed at reviving the agreement on the Iranian nuclear file concluded in 2015 - officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action - reached a dead end.

It also coincides with the start of US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's tour of the Middle East today, Sunday, including Egypt, Jordan and Israel, during which he will hold talks on the Iranian nuclear program.

Biden: the Iran Nuclear Deal is dead, but we're not gonna announce it

Biden: the Iran Nuclear Deal is dead, but we're not gonna announce it

    Wednesday, December 21, 2022   No comments

 A video has emerged of Joe Biden declaring the peaceful nuclear energy deal with Iran "dead" even as talks continue.

The US president made the comments to some woman who claims is Iranian at a campaign rally with fellow Democrat congressman Mike Levin in Oceanside, California on November 4, at a time when protests were going on in Iran with support from Washington.

"President Biden, can you please announce that JCPOA is dead? Can you just announce that?" asks one woman. Biden replied "no", prompting the woman to ask "why not?"

"A lot of reasons. It is dead, but we're not gonna announce it," Biden told her. "Long story, but we're gonna make sure..."

The US Special Envoy for Iran: "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon"

The US Special Envoy for Iran: "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon"

    Wednesday, November 30, 2022   No comments

 The US Special Envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, said on Wednesday that "Iran is perhaps weeks away from enriching the fissile material needed to develop a nuclear weapon."

Malley claimed, during a webinar hosted by the "Foreign Policy" daily related to Iran, that "with regard to the nuclear agreement, the closer the parties are to agreeing on a formula to revive the agreement, Iran puts forward new demands at the last minute."

Malley explained that on September 1, "Iran put forward a new condition, which is that the agreement must be accompanied by an end to the sanctions imposed on it."

He added, "The suspension of sanctions comes within the framework of the agreement, and the latter is not up for discussion now, so the sanctions will continue in the same context."

This comes as Iran affirms that it is serious about reaching a nuclear agreement, and that it will not hesitate to reach a "good, strong and sustainable" agreement, but it is calling for guarantees that the United States will not withdraw from the agreement again, and it is also calling for the closure of the International Atomic Energy Agency's allegations.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said, "The Americans are sending us through some foreign ministers that they are in a hurry to revive the nuclear agreement, while the US envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, says, "The nuclear agreement is not among Washington's priorities."

Since the beginning of reviving the nuclear agreement, Tehran has been stressing on 4 basic issues: guarantees after the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement, lifting sanctions on Iran, verifying the occurrence of these matters, in addition to closing the file of political allegations of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Malley: The diplomatic option is the most appropriate

The US envoy for Iran claimed during the symposium that, "As soon as US President Joe Biden took office, we immediately declared to our European allies our intention to revive the nuclear deal, provided Iran complies."

He added, "The diplomatic option is the most appropriate to stop Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons," noting that "we are working in close and coordinated steps with France and Britain to achieve this."

Malley quoted Biden as saying, "The time may come to activate the military option against Iran, but conditions are not yet ripe," noting that "our consultations with the leaders of both parties are continuing on Iran, and we are aware of the size of the opposition of some in Congress."

Earlier, Malley himself spoke about the possibility of the next US president leaving the nuclear agreement, noting that "there are no guarantees that this will not happen."

And at the end of last October, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Nasser Kanaani, said: "We believe that the American political will can help sign the agreement," stressing that his country will not wait for an agreement to secure its interests, nor will it link its relationship and foreign policy to the nuclear agreement.

Malley: A new system of sanctions against Iran has been activated

During the symposium, the US Special Envoy for Iran pointed out that the US Treasury Department took into account all the circumstances accompanying the activation of sanctions with the lowest rate of consequences, i.e. diplomacy backed by sanctions.

It is noteworthy that the Iranian Foreign Ministry said, last month, that the madness of sanctions against Iran has turned into a "virus" that is transmitted to countries allied to Washington, stressing that imposing sanctions on the media and journalists is a violation of part of the main rights of the Iranian people to make their voice heard in the world.

According to Malley, "a new system of sanctions has been activated against Iranian officials for their dealings with the protests," announcing that "Washington is devoting its technical capabilities to the demonstrators in order to communicate via virtual space."

Malley announced "his strong support for the demonstrators in Iran," adding that "the demonstrations come at a sensitive historical period that is reshaping Iranian history," as he put it.

Malley added that "Washington's behavior in the 2009 demonstrations in Iran should have been better, and we must deal with wisdom," saying: "We intend with our other allies to hold Iranian officials accountable for what is going on."

The spokesman for the Iranian Shura Council's presidential body, Nizamuddin Mousavi, stated that "about 45,000 people and foreign intelligence agencies are causing riots." Iran also condemned the US interference in its affairs, represented by supporting the riots that took place in Iranian cities.

Iranian FM: U.S. sends message to Iran, "in hurry" to reach nuke agreement

Iranian FM: U.S. sends message to Iran, "in hurry" to reach nuke agreement

    Saturday, October 22, 2022   No comments

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian revealed that "Washington sent a new message to Iran, three days ago, regarding negotiations over Iran's nuclear program," noting that "Tehran's assessment of the message is that the US side puts the agreement at the top of its priorities."

Amir Abdollahian said in a press statement, after his meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia in Yerevan, Armenia, today, Saturday: "Our assessment of the American message indicates that the agreement is not only one of their priorities, but that they are in a hurry to get it and sign it, but they are also trying to ignite the recent events in Iran." .

He added, "The Americans are contradictory in their words and behavior, and we assured them that the issue of the accusations leveled by the International Atomic Energy Agency must be resolved."

Amir Abdullahian stressed, "We will not negotiate with the American side to make concessions, we will move within a logical framework and an agreement that respects Iran's red lines, but at the same time, we will never leave the negotiating table."

He believed that "the American behavior is hypocritical. They tell Iran that we are concerned about the nuclear agreement, and they say in the media that negotiations are not their priority."

The Iranian foreign minister stressed that "we will not allow the United States to incite chaos in Iran by making some statements."

Two days ago, the Coordinator of Strategic Communications for the US National Security Council, John Kirby, announced that "Washington has moved away from returning to the agreement with Iran over its nuclear program," noting that it "is not currently focusing its attention on it."

"Honestly, the nuclear deal is not currently our top priority," Kirby said.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that "the deal does not appear imminent."

Regarding the allegations of Iran supplying drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, Amir Abdollahian stressed that "Iran has not and will not give any weapons to the Russian side for use in the Ukraine war."

Tehran demanded that Ukraine "provide documents" related to the news of the use of Iranian drones by the Russian side in the current war.

There will be no new agreement reviving the Iran Deal until after the November elections in the US, if ever

There will be no new agreement reviving the Iran Deal until after the November elections in the US, if ever

    Thursday, September 08, 2022   No comments

When the EU submitted what it called the final draft of an agreement that would allow the US to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA), commonly known as the Iran Deal, and when EU foreign policy coordinator described Iran’s response to the text as “reasonable”, many observers thought that a signing was just days away. Now, after receiving the US response to the text, many are skeptical that a deal is possible. Considering all the factors at play, it is unlikely that the US administration will be able to sign off on a deal before the midterm general elections. That is our best informed prediction, regardless of what the reporting seem to suggest. The conflicting statements, over this past few days, appear to bolster this prediction.

Just today, Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stressed that Iran is still in the process of reaching a good, strong and sustainable agreement, but that America should refrain from using vague literature in the draft final text of the agreement.

 

Amir Abdullahian's statements came during a telephone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, during which they discussed and exchanged views on bilateral, regional and international issues and negotiations to lift the embargo.

 

In turn, Wang Yi said: "We reject unilateralism at the international level and support Iran's reasonable demands in the nuclear negotiations."

 

Today, the Coordinator of Strategic Communications in the US National Security Council, John Kirby, confirmed that the United States at the present moment is not close to an agreement with Iran on a deal regarding its nuclear program.

 

Earlier, the European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said he was "less optimistic" about a quick agreement to revive the Iran nuclear deal than he was a short time ago.

European Union's foreign policy chief: Iran's response to the European proposal on the nuclear deal "reasonable"

European Union's foreign policy chief: Iran's response to the European proposal on the nuclear deal "reasonable"

    Monday, August 22, 2022   No comments

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, considered today that Iran's response to the bloc's recent proposal for a nuclear agreement with the United States is "reasonable."

He added during an event at a university in the city of Santander in northern Spain: "I presented a proposal in my capacity as the coordinator of the negotiations ... and there is a response from Iran, which I considered reasonable. He was transferred to the United States, which has not yet officially responded.

Borrell was referring to a response Iran sent last week to the European Union's latest proposal to update the 2015 nuclear deal, following 16 months of indirect talks between the United States and Tehran.

For his part, the Russian envoy to the Vienna negotiations, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that he met the new permanent representative of Iran to international organizations in Vienna, Mohsen Naziri, and they discussed a number of issues related to the final stage of the Vienna negotiations on the nuclear agreement.

He added that Iran had made reasonable proposals regarding the nuclear agreement, and the Russian official expressed his hope that Washington would not delay in responding to the Iranian proposals, as he put it.