Iran has warned of retaliation if the 35-member IAEA Board of Governors approves a resolution drafted by the United States, France, Britain and Germany, criticizing Tehran for its continued failure to explain the traces of uranium found in undisclosed locations. The resolution was adopted by an overwhelming majority late Wednesday. read more Iran told the agency it planned to remove equipment, including 27 IAEA cameras, as of Thursday, which is “basically all” of the additional surveillance equipment installed under the 2015 agreement, which goes beyond Iran’s basic obligations to the organization, he said. Grossi at a press conference. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register That leaves a window of opportunity for three to four weeks to restore at least some of the deregistration, otherwise the IAEA will lose its ability to combine Iran’s most important nuclear activities, Grossi said. “I think that would be a fatal blow (to the revival of the agreement),” Grossi said of what would have happened if that window had remained unused. A confidential IAEA report to member states seen by Reuters on Thursday night said IAEA inspectors removed IAEA cameras at two locations and placed them under storage under IAEA seals. Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 agreement have stalled since March. “Do you think we will step down if you pass a resolution in the Board of Governors (IAEA)? In the name of God and the great nation of Iran, we will not back down one step,” he said. Ebrahim Raisi in his speech. Since then-President Donald Trump withdrew Washington from the deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran in 2018, Iran has violated many of the terms of the deal in its nuclear activities. Enriches uranium to the level of a weapon. Western powers warn that it is getting closer and closer to being able to sprint to build a nuclear bomb. Iran denies what it wants. read more Iran has maintained the data recorded by the additional monitoring equipment since February last year, which means that the IAEA can only hope to have access to it later. Grossi said it was unclear what would happen to the data now. He added, however, that more than 40 IAEA cameras would continue to operate as part of key surveillance in Iran prior to the 2015 agreement. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Additional references by John Irish in Paris and Dubai. Editing by Frank Jack Daniel, Andrew Heavens, Raissa Kasolowsky, Alex Richardson and Jonathan Oatis Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
