European Troika: The Islamic Republic Must Immediately Halt Nuclear Escalation

The three European countries on the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a joint statement calling for the "immediate cessation and reversal" of the Islamic Republic's "nuclear escalation" and for the Iranian government to refrain from nuclear weapons-related threats. Britain, Germany, and France described the information provided in the IAEA's recent report on Iran's nuclear program as "severely concerning" and indicative of the continued "blatant violation" of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA by the Iranian government, as well as the lack of improvement in cooperation between the Islamic Republic and the IAEA. According to the issued statement, the scope of Iran's enrichment activities for a country without nuclear weapons is described as "unprecedented" and "lacking valid civilian justification." The European Troika has urged the Islamic Republic to adhere to the limitations of the nuclear agreement, particularly regarding enrichment levels and the amount of enriched uranium reserves. The three European countries also requested that the Islamic Republic agree to install IAEA monitoring equipment at designated nuclear sites and lift the ban on experienced IAEA inspectors visiting Iran's nuclear sites. In the joint statement, the European Troika expressed concern over the sevenfold increase in high-concentration uranium at the Fordow nuclear facility compared to the IAEA's previous report, noting that the Islamic Republic is currently producing significant amounts of high-concentration uranium every six weeks. They criticized the Islamic Republic for escalating nuclear tensions by disregarding the limitations set forth in the nuclear agreement and warned against the Iranian government's repeated threats to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The European Troika, referencing a joint statement issued by the Iranian government and the IAEA two years ago, called for the Iranian government to adhere to its commitments regarding transparency and cooperation with the IAEA. The three countries on the Board of Governors emphasized the "unity" and "steadfastness" of the international community in preventing the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons and stated that they would continue to use "all diplomatic levers" to achieve this goal. A day earlier, the European Union's delegation at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting issued a statement declaring that preventing the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons is a "major security priority" for the EU. The EU's statement expressed regret over the Iranian government's failure to return to its "nuclear commitments under the JCPOA," emphasizing that "Iran's uninterrupted nuclear activities over the past five years have raised many concerns." The statement warned of the increasing "risk of a nuclear weapons proliferation crisis in the region" due to the continued nuclear activities of the Iranian government. Prior to this, Howard Solomon, the U.S. acting representative at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, expressed severe concern over the acceleration of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program and emphasized that the United States would not yield to the actions of the Islamic Republic. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, reported to the Board of Governors on Monday, March 4, that the Islamic Republic has increased its stockpile of 60% enriched uranium to 275 kilograms. The IAEA Director General described the Islamic Republic of Iran as the only non-nuclear country that has enriched uranium to this degree, calling it a "serious concern."