Iran to leave access for IAEA to its nuclear facilities

The Iranian authorities may reduce, but won’t completely block access to their nuclear facilities for observers of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in an interview with CNN, Report informs.

On December 2, 2020, the Guardian Council of the Iranian Constitution approved a bill previously passed by the parliament, obliging the government to increase the degree of uranium enrichment.

The parliament gave the government two months to refuse to comply with the additional protocol with the IAEA if the other parties to the nuclear deal don’t return to full compliance with their commitments.

The law obliged the government to produce at least 120 kg of uranium enriched to 20 percent per year. The country’s authorities must also put into operation 1,000 additional IR-2m centrifuges at the nuclear facilities in Natanz and Fordo during the year. According to lawmakers, the measures included in the draft will help lift sanctions against Tehran.

Earlier, the Iranian authorities said that if Western countries don’t ensure compliance with the provisions of the nuclear deal by February 21, Iran will refuse to comply with the additional protocol of the IAEA, which could give Tehran the right to completely deny access of the agency’s observers to its nuclear facilities.

"Iran has the strictest IAEA inspection mechanism anywhere in the world... We will be limiting that, but there is a very easy way of addressing it, and that is for the United States to come back into compliance before that date. That date is an important day," Zarif said.