IAEA Director General: Iran's Continued Enrichment Raises Concerns

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran "continues its enrichment activities, which raises concerns." Rafael Grossi, in an interview with the television channel 'France 24,' noted a 25% increase in Iran's enriched uranium reserves over three months despite an agreement between the Islamic Republic and the Agency regarding safeguards and verification. He mentioned that the agreement has not been implemented at the level and pace expected by the Agency. Grossi said, "We agreed that Iran would cooperate with the Agency, limit some activities, and allow us to add more monitoring capabilities." The IAEA Director General added, "Our agreement with them for more verification has not been implemented at the level I expected. They need to work with us." According to him, the JCPOA is currently in a "very bad state" and is practically an "empty shell," as no one has announced its end, yet no diplomatic activities are taking place around it. Grossi emphasized that the Agency welcomes any action for de-escalation, but the agreement must be "verifiable." He added, "If any replacement agreement is reached, I hope we are invited to verify the reality of the commitments and that [this agreement] is not just a piece of paper." It is noteworthy that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his latest remarks about the agreement with Iran, stated: "While we are still willing to find diplomatic pathways, there is no agreement on the horizon." He also mentioned that Washington judges the Islamic Republic based on its actions. President Joe Biden came to power hoping to return to the JCPOA, which Donald Trump had canceled. However, nuclear negotiations mediated by the European Union have failed, and widespread protests and crackdowns in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in 'morality police' custody have increasingly made Washington hesitant to reach an agreement with the ruling clerics in Iran.