IAEA Board of Governors Meeting; Russia, China, and Iran Support the Revival of JCPOA

Following the actions of France, Britain, and Germany in presenting a draft resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors, Russia, China, and Iran on Tuesday, June 5, issued a joint statement accusing the U.S. and these three European countries of ignoring efforts to revive the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA. The joint statement from Russia, China, and Iran addressed the IAEA Board of Governors, emphasizing: "Our countries have consistently been strong supporters of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)." The U.S. rejected the differences with the three European countries regarding Iran's nuclear program. The three countries added: "Since 2018, when the U.S. illegally and unilaterally withdrew from this agreement, imposing unilateral and illegal sanctions and applying a maximum pressure policy against Iran became a turning point for this agreement, our support for the JCPOA has not changed." They further noted that following the Biden administration's assumption of power, they expressed their readiness to agree on the "resumption of the implementation of the JCPOA based on the August 2022 text" after eight rounds of Vienna negotiations. The nuclear negotiations aimed at reviving the JCPOA, which seeks to bring Iran and the U.S. back to this agreement, ended without results in the summer of 2022. After the failure of these negotiations, the U.S. accused Iran of making extraneous demands. Russia, China, and Iran reiterated in their statement that France, Germany, and Britain, as well as the U.S., ignored efforts to resume the implementation of the JCPOA "due to their political considerations." The statement added: "The People's Republic of China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Russian Federation believe that the provisions of the JCPOA remain valid within the framework of Security Council Resolution 2231. It is time for Western countries to show political will and refrain from the endless cycle of escalating tensions that they have exacerbated over the past two years and take the necessary steps to resume the implementation of the JCPOA." This statement was released as France, Britain, and Germany criticized Iran's lack of cooperation with the agency by presenting a draft resolution to the IAEA Board of Governors on Monday. Following this action by Western powers, the head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization warned against any "political pressure" on the Islamic Republic. Mohammad Eslami, on Tuesday, June 5, responded to the Western countries' efforts to pass a resolution against the Islamic Republic in the Board of Governors, saying: "If they issue a resolution or apply political pressure, we will certainly react." According to him, Iran's nuclear activities are "within the framework of national law, within the framework of safeguards and the NPT." On the other hand, Britain, France, and Germany on Tuesday issued a joint statement describing Iran's cooperation with the IAEA as insufficient and called for immediate and further actions from the Islamic Republic. In the draft resolution presented by Britain, France, and Germany to the Board of Governors on Monday, these countries once again called for clarification regarding uranium particles found at three undeclared sites of the Islamic Republic, similar to two years ago. They also raised the issue of Iran's lack of cooperation with the agency's inspectors in this draft resolution. The five-day meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors began on Monday at the agency's headquarters in Vienna and is set to focus specifically on the status of Iran's nuclear program. The Director General of the IAEA stated at the beginning of the Board of Governors meeting on Monday that, despite his visit to Tehran last month, he is "deeply sorry" that Iran has not yet revoked its decision to prevent the presence of experienced agency inspectors.