Rafael Grossi: The JCPOA Now Exists Only on Paper

The Secretary-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) states that the agreement between Iran and Western powers regarding the nuclear issue, known as the JCPOA, now exists only 'on paper and has no meaning.' Rafael Grossi said in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia published on Monday, June 18, that 'no one is adhering to it. No one is following it.' He noted that despite diplomatic efforts to revive the JCPOA in Vienna, the parties 'although they had come relatively close to a successful negotiation, for reasons unknown to me, did not reach a conclusion.' The IAEA chief pointed out that it is not surprising that the parties, especially Iran and the United States, blame each other for the failure of the negotiations. Grossi also emphasized that the scenario that occurred with North Korea, which led to that country acquiring nuclear weapons, should not be allowed to repeat itself in Iran. He further reminded that access issues for the IAEA to Iran's nuclear facilities still exist. On June 3, Grossi stated at the beginning of the IAEA Board of Governors meeting that public statements in Iran regarding technical capabilities for producing nuclear weapons and potential changes in Tehran's nuclear doctrine have increased his concerns about the accuracy and completeness of Iran's statements regarding the agency's safeguards. The IAEA Director-General also expressed that despite his visit to Tehran last month, he is 'deeply sorry' that Iran has not yet rescinded its decision to prevent experienced agency inspectors from entering. Two days later, the IAEA Board of Governors approved a resolution proposed by Britain, France, and Germany against Iran's nuclear program, urging Iran to respond to the IAEA inspectors' questions about suspicious aspects of its nuclear program and reconsider its decision to prevent experienced inspectors from operating. In response to this resolution, Ali Bagheri Kani, the head of Iran's Foreign Ministry, stated that the issuance of this resolution 'will have no effect on Tehran's determination to continue the peaceful use of nuclear energy and operationalize its nuclear development plans.' Iran also expanded its uranium enrichment capacity at two underground sites following the issuance of this resolution. The three European countries involved in the JCPOA condemned this action and stated in a joint statement on June 16 that Iran is 'hollowing out' the JCPOA with its recent actions. The agency has indicated in recent months that Iran, in addition to restricting access for its skilled inspectors to some of its nuclear facilities, has increased its uranium enrichment level and its stockpile. The IAEA estimates that if Iran enriches its 60% uranium stockpile to 90% purity, it would be capable of producing 2 to 3 nuclear bombs. Iran is the only non-nuclear-weapon state in the world that enriches uranium up to 60%. The United States and European members of the JCPOA state that this action by the Islamic Republic has no civilian justification.