The European Union Expresses Concern Over Suspension of 'Several Experienced' Inspectors by Iran

The European Union announced that it is 'very concerned' about the Iranian government's decision to suspend the activities of 'several experienced' inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who were responsible for monitoring and verifying Tehran's nuclear program. Peter Stano, spokesperson for the EU's foreign policy chief, wrote on social media platform 'X' that the EU urges the Iranian government to reconsider this decision without delay. The UN nuclear watchdog also issued a statement on Saturday criticizing Iran for 'preventing inspections' and 'verification' of its disputed nuclear program. According to the Associated Press, the UN nuclear watchdog's statement comes amid rising tensions between the Iranian government and the IAEA. The IAEA, which is tasked with monitoring Iran's nuclear program, has long been suspected by Western countries of having the ultimate goal of 'building nuclear weapons,' although Iran insists that its program is peaceful. This action exacerbates previous tensions between Iran and the IAEA, which is responsible for 'verifying the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear activities.' Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General, condemned Iran's decision to suspend the activities of inspectors assigned to verify Iran under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in a statement on Saturday. Grossi described this decision as 'another step in the wrong direction' and emphasized that it unnecessarily harms the already strained relationship between the IAEA and Iran in implementing the NPT. He stated, 'Iran has effectively removed about one-third of the main group of the most experienced inspectors assigned to Iran.' The United States, Britain, France, and Germany jointly urged Iran to enhance its cooperation with the IAEA. Meanwhile, these three European countries did not lift sanctions related to Iran's nuclear and missile programs. In response to this statement, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused Western countries of 'excessive demands and attempts to politicize the IAEA's environment.' Nasser Kanani stated that the Iranian government 'will continue its cooperation within the framework of the agreements made, emphasizing the necessity of the IAEA's neutrality.' The IAEA recently reported that Iran has 'slowed down' uranium enrichment, indicating an effort to reduce tensions following the United States' withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement. However, Grossi warned that if Iran intends to build a nuclear weapon, it has enough enriched uranium for several nuclear bombs. Recently, Voice of America reported that Rafael Grossi, the IAEA Director General, announced on September 20 in a report titled 'NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran' to the Board of Governors that 'unfortunately, no progress has been made in implementing the activities specified in the joint statement signed on March 4 in Tehran.' In March, the IAEA and the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization issued a joint statement in which both parties agreed on three topics of cooperation and interaction according to the agency's mandates and Iran's rights and duties, Iran's cooperation with the agency regarding safeguard issues related to three locations, and Iran's voluntary allowance for the agency to conduct further verification and monitoring activities. At the same time, the U.S. representative to the IAEA Board of Governors also urged Iran to stop producing uranium with a 60% concentration. The U.S. government believes that enriching uranium to a 60% concentration does not justify peaceful purposes. The U.S. representative emphasized on September 21, the second day of the Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, that the continued installation of advanced centrifuges and the accumulation of high-enriched uranium by Iran do not have a credible peaceful purpose.