UN nuclear watchdog holds special meeting on Iran

The UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday held a special meeting on Iran after the Islamic Republic announced its second breach of the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers.

It prompted criticism from the Iranian president, who saidthe focus should be firmly on US policies.

   

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation board ofgovernors held talks in Vienna at the request of the US, which abandoned the2015 pact last year and began imposing strict sanctions on Tehran, diplomaticsources told Efe news.

The convening members are not expected to adopt anyresolutions on this occasion, although they could agree on a joint statementcalling on Tehran to backtrack on its decision to breach the deal and expandits nuclear programme, which it decided to do as a response to US sanctions.

Germany, France, Britain and the European Union on Tuesdaycalled on Iran to return to the full commitment of the 2015 Joint ComprehensivePlan of Action (JCPOA).

But Iran’s President, Hassan Rouhani, took issue with themeeting’s agenda.

“It isn’t necessary for you to be worried about Iran,your concern should be with the US, which has shot down the JCPOA and hasundermined all of its commitments,” he told members of the cabinet in aweekly meeting.

He described the meeting as laughable, given it was the USthat pulled out of the accord and levelled sanctions against Iran.

His Foreign Minister, Mohammad JavadZarif, said it wasimpossible to negotiate “under pressure” and called on the US to endits campaign of “economic terrorism against Iran.”

US President Donald Trump’s administration pulled out of the2015 nuclear deal – which bore the signature of his predecessor Barack Obama –in May 2018.

He then reactivated sanctions against Tehran and drew up newones squeezing its oil and banking sectors.

Rouhani marked the anniversary of Trump’s decision byannouncing that Iran would start to ignore some of the stipulations in the dealif the remaining signatories failed to keep their commitments and offset USsanctions within the next 60 days.

On Monday, the Vienna-based IAEA confirmed that Iran hadexceeded the limits on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium, which can be usedas fuel in nuclear reactors or to make atomic bombs. According to the deal, Tehran had to sell offany amount of uranium that surpassed the 300 kg restriction.

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