IAEA Chief: Iran's Maneuvering Space is Shrinking

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran's maneuvering space in its nuclear program is shrinking and that Iran must urgently find ways to resolve this issue. Rafael Grossi stated on Wednesday, November 13, on the sidelines of the "COP 29" meeting in Baku, to AFP: "The Iranian government must understand that the international situation is becoming increasingly tense and that maneuvering margins are decreasing, and it is essential to find ways to reach diplomatic solutions." Ahead of his trip to Iran, he emphasized that the agency is allowed to conduct inspections in Iran but needs more observations: "Given the scope, depth, and ambitions of Iran's nuclear program, we need to find ways to gain better insight into Iran's activities." The IAEA chief is scheduled to visit Iran on Wednesday, a trip that comes after Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, during which he had a very hardline stance towards Iran, withdrew from the JCPOA despite criticisms from European partners and the IAEA, and imposed severe sanctions on Iran. Mr. Grossi noted that during Trump's previous presidency, he had a "good cooperation experience" with the U.S. government. One year after the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA in May 2018, Iran gradually began to deviate from its JCPOA commitments and limited its cooperation with the agency. Mr. Grossi has repeatedly criticized Iran for its lack of cooperation in responding to questions regarding uranium traces at undeclared sites, expelling some agency inspectors from Iran, preventing the agency from accessing CCTV footage at Iran's nuclear facilities, and other issues. He has also warned about the significant increase in Iran's 60% enriched uranium reserves, which is very close to the level needed to produce a nuclear bomb. According to IAEA standards, Iran has enough enriched uranium to produce about four nuclear bombs if further enriched. Iran has long denied any plans to build a nuclear bomb and claims it enriches uranium only for non-military energy purposes. Mr. Grossi previously stated regarding Iran's lack of cooperation with the agency: "The JCPOA has become an empty shell." With the coming to power of Masoud Pezeshkian's government, the Islamic Republic has stated that it is ready to revive negotiations. Grossi's last visit to Iran was in May of this year. He urged Iranian officials to take action to alleviate the agency's concerns and clarify the nuclear program.