European Union: The Iranian Government Must Not Acquire Nuclear Weapons

The European Union's delegation at the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors meeting on Tuesday, March 5, stated that preventing the Islamic Republic of Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons is a "significant security priority" for the EU. According to the delegation's website at the IAEA, the EU called on all countries worldwide to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 from 2015, which endorsed the nuclear agreement (JCPOA), adding that this agreement is the basis for monitoring and reporting by the IAEA. The EU expressed regret that the Iranian government has "not taken the necessary decisions 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 noted that the "risk of a nuclear weapons proliferation crisis in the region" is increasing due to the continuation of the Iranian government's nuclear activities. The EU delegation announced that its member countries are committed to a diplomatic solution to address this issue, mentioning that Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Moldova, and Ukraine also align with this EU statement. The EU expressed serious concern over the "worrisome expansion" of the Islamic Republic of Iran's nuclear program, emphasizing that the Iranian government has deviated significantly from its commitments under the JCPOA and is particularly alarmed by the substantial increase in the production and stockpiling of highly enriched uranium and the expansion of Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities and operations. Prior to this, Howard Solomon, the U.S. acting representative at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, expressed serious concern over the acceleration of the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, stressing that the United States will not submit to the actions of the Islamic Republic. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, stated on Monday, March 4, to the Board of Governors that the Islamic Republic has increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity to 275 kilograms. Based on the information provided by Mr. Grossi to the IAEA Board of Governors, the Islamic Republic has "increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity from 182 kilograms to 275 kilograms over the past three months." 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 cause for "serious concern." The EU delegation at the IAEA warned that all actions of the Iranian government "carry many risks regarding the proliferation of nuclear weapons and raise serious concerns about the objectives" of the Islamic Republic, as "there is no acceptable civilian justification for them." The statement expressed concern over remarks made by some Iranian officials regarding Iran's ability to build nuclear weapons. The EU delegation noted that the Iranian government has halted its nuclear commitments under the JCPOA and added that the IAEA has been unable to carry out verification and monitoring actions related to the nuclear agreement over the past four years. The statement expressed concern that the Iranian government is the only non-nuclear country in the world systematically producing and stockpiling highly enriched uranium, urging the Islamic Republic to change its concerning nuclear path and immediately fulfill its commitments. The EU also called on the Iranian government to "return to the implementation of the additional protocol temporarily, ratify it, and resume the implementation of all monitoring and verification actions related to the nuclear agreement to help build international confidence regarding the nature of the nuclear program" that Iranian officials claim is peaceful. The statement emphasized the necessity of full cooperation with the IAEA and stated that the EU fully supports the agency's efforts to continue its long-term mission regarding Iran's nuclear activities.