US Reaction to IAEA Report: Waiting for Official Release

Following the release of sections of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report by international news agencies, a spokesperson for the US State Department responded to a question from the Persian section of Voice of America, stating: "We are waiting for its official release by the IAEA and until then we have no official comment." Reuters, France, and the Associated Press reported that Iran's enriched uranium reserves have continued to increase to a purity level of 60%, which is close to the level required for nuclear weapons production, and that there has been no progress in negotiations with the Islamic Republic on sensitive issues such as the origin of uranium particles at undeclared sites. The spokesperson emphasized: "We have seen the media reports and are eagerly awaiting the official release by the IAEA, and until then we have no official comment." However, he continued that the US has clearly stated that Iran must fully adhere to its safeguards obligations and provide necessary cooperation with the IAEA on these issues without further delay. He added: "We will judge Iran based on its actions, and nothing else." The US State Department spokesperson also stated: "As we have said, we have full confidence in the IAEA and its Director General Rafael Grossi, and we appreciate the IAEA's extensive efforts to engage with Iran on long-standing issues related to Iran's safeguards obligations." In response to a question about whether the US is prepared for direct or indirect negotiations with Iran regarding its nuclear program on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, he said: "We have no plans for diplomatic meetings for information sharing. But we still emphasize our position that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons." John Kirby, the National Security Council's Strategic Communications Coordinator at the White House, said last week regarding a claim by an Iranian official about resuming nuclear talks to the Persian section of Voice of America: "We are not engaged in active discussions or negotiations with the Iranians regarding their nuclear ambitions. Nothing like that is happening at the moment. Let me be clear that our priority in negotiations with the Iranians is to ensure the safe return of our American citizens. But the second priority regarding Iran is to ensure that we respond to Iran's destabilizing behavior across the region. They continue to support terrorist networks in the region and beyond. They continue to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz. They continue to support Russia by sending drones to kill innocent Ukrainians, so we are focused on these issues to counter these destabilizing behaviors. Therefore, there is currently no active nuclear negotiation taking place, and I do not expect that to happen in the near future." Jake Sullivan, the National Security Advisor at the White House, also stated on July 16 in an interview with CBS regarding whether the US is close to a "real agreement" on the nuclear program with Iran: "In relation to the nuclear program, we are not close to any agreement." Farhad Poladi, born in Tehran in October 1972, after eight years of teaching English at the Iran Language Institute, became a reporter for IRNA in 1998. Since 2003, he has been a reporter for the French news agency in Tehran. His reporting assignments allowed him to travel to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Istanbul, Moscow, and Almaty.