Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, made the remarks at a hasty press conference in Vienna, next to an example of cameras installed throughout Iran. Grossi said the move posed a “serious challenge” to her efforts, warning that in three to four weeks she would not be able to maintain a “knowledge base” about Iran’s program. “This would be a fatal blow” to negotiations on Iran’s trivial nuclear deal with world powers, Grossi said. “When we lose that, then it makes sense for everyone,” he added. Get the Times of Israel Daily E-mail and never miss our top stories By registering, you agree to the terms Iran did not immediately acknowledge that it was removing the cameras, although it threatened to take further action on Wednesday amid a multi-year crisis that threatens to escalate into further attacks across the Middle East. Grossi said this would leave “40-something” cameras still in Iran. Locations that will see the cameras removed include the Natanz underground nuclear enrichment facility, as well as its facilities in Isfahan, Grossi said. “We are in a very tense situation with the (nuclear deal) negotiations at low tide,” Grossi added. “It simply came to our notice then. as you can see it is not very nice “. This satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC shows Iran’s Natanz underground nuclear site, as well as ongoing construction to expand the facility to a nearby mountain to the south near Natanz, Iran, May 9, 2022. (Planet Labs PBC via AP) On Wednesday, Iran announced that it had deactivated two devices used by the IAEA to monitor enrichment in Natanz. Grossi acknowledged this, saying that among the devices removed were the Online Enrichment Monitor and the flowmeter. They monitor uranium gas enrichment through piping at enrichment plants. Iran’s decision comes as the IAEA board criticized Tehran for what the agency called the Islamic Republic’s failure to provide “reliable information” about anthropogenic nuclear material found at three undisclosed locations in the country. The IAEA said earlier on Thursday that Grossi had told members that Iran had informed the agency that it planned to install two new IR-6 waterfalls in Natanz. A waterfall is a series of centrifuges connected together to spin uranium gas rapidly to enrich it. An IR-6 centrifuge spins uranium 10 times faster than the first-generation centrifuges to which Iran once restricted itself as part of its nuclear deal with world powers. As of February, Iran had already rotated an IR-6 waterfall at its Fordo underground facility, according to the IAEA. Iran had earlier said it planned to install an IR-6 waterfall in Natanz. The IAEA said it had “verified” the ongoing installation of the waterfall on Monday, while the two newly promised waterfalls had not yet begun. Centrifuges at Natanz uranium enrichment plant in central Iran, in an image released on November 5, 2019. (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran via AP, Archive) Iran and world powers agreed in 2015 to a nuclear deal, under which Tehran drastically reduced uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. In 2018, then-President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal, escalating tensions in the wider Middle East and sparking a series of attacks and incidents. Talks in Vienna on Iran’s trivial nuclear deal have stalled since April. Following the collapse of the agreement, Iran has advanced centrifuges and a rapidly growing stockpile of enriched uranium. Non-proliferation experts warn that Iran has enriched uranium with a purity of up to 60% – a brief technical step from 90% weapons levels – to build a nuclear weapon if it so decides. Iran insists its program is for peaceful purposes, although UN experts and Western intelligence services say Iran had a well-organized military nuclear program until 2003. Building a nuclear bomb would take even more time than Iran if it followed a weapon, analysts say, although they warn that developments in Tehran make the program more dangerous. Israel has threatened in the past to strike a preemptive strike to stop Iran – and is already suspected of a series of recent assassinations of Iranian officials. An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspector installs surveillance equipment at Iran’s uranium conversion facility just outside the city of Isfahan, Iran, August 8, 2005 (AP Photo / Mehdi Ghasemi, ISNA, Archive) Iran has been holding footage from IAEA surveillance cameras since February 2021 as a tactic of pressure to restore the nuclear deal. The Atomic Energy Agency of Iran, which manages its civilian nuclear program, released a video saying it showed its workers deactivating both the normal and spare batteries for two IAEA cameras on Wednesday. The motion of censure at the IAEA meeting in Vienna, funded by Germany, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, was approved with the support of 30 of the 35 governors. Russia and China have voted against, Russian Ambassador Mikhail Ulyanov wrote on Twitter. India, Libya and Pakistan abstained. Following the vote, a joint statement from France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States said the impeachment “sends a clear message to Iran that it must meet its safeguards obligations and provide technically credible clarifications on outstanding safeguards issues.” Iran’s foreign ministry, meanwhile, has criticized the rebellion as “political, wrong and unconstructive.” An Iranian official had earlier warned IAEA officials that Tehran was now considering “other measures”. “We hope they will come together and respond to Iran’s cooperation with cooperation,” said Behrouz Kamalvadi, Iran’s nuclear spokesman. “It is unacceptable for them to behave inappropriately while Iran continues to cooperate.” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett praised the vote as “an important decision that exposes the true face of Iran.” “IAEA vote Arab Emirates. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (left) meets with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, 9 June 2022 (Kobi Gideon / GPO) Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian called the United States “guilty of the Iranian nuclear crisis” and urged the United States to “respond positively to the legitimate concerns of the Iranian side.” A drone exploded in the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Irbil on Wednesday night, slightly injuring three people and damaging cars and a nearby restaurant, officials said. The General Directorate of Counter-Terrorism in the Kurdistan Region claimed on Thursday that the Iranian-backed Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades, had launched the drone.
