E3 statement to the IAEA Board of Governors on verification and monitoring in Iran in light of UNSCR 2231, June 2021
Published By GOV.UK [English], Wed, Jun 9, 2021 10:08 AM
France, Germany, and the United Kingdom would like to thank DG Grossi for his
latest report contained in GOV/2021/28 and DDG Aparo for the Technical Briefing.
As E3 we remain fully committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA)
which, when implemented in full, is in the collective security interests of us all.
We fully support and are committed to the ongoing negotiations undertaken by all
JCPoA participants and the United States in Vienna focussed on facilitating a return
of the US to the deal, bringing Iran back into full compliance with its commitments
and restoring the benefits of the JCPoA for all.
We remain deeply concerned at Iran’s continued violations of its nuclear-related
commitments, including the escalatory steps taken since January 2021. Collectively,
these steps present a significant nuclear proliferation risk, have irreversible
consequences for Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and undermine the non-proliferation
benefits of the JCPoA. It is particularly regrettable that some of these steps have
come at a time when all JCPoA participants and the United States are engaged in
substantive discussions, with the objective of finding a diplomatic solution to restore
the JCPoA.
Iran continues to install technical infrastructure for the production of uranium metal
and to produce uranium metal at laboratory scale. In addition, it is enriching uranium
up to 60% to produce high enriched uranium for the first time. Iran has thus become
the first and only country world-wide to produce 60% uranium in an IAEAsafeguarded
facility. These are critical steps for nuclear weapons production and
provide irreversible nuclear weapons-related knowledge gains.
Iran also continues to build up its low enriched uranium stockpile and to expand its
enrichment capacity.
We urge Iran to stop, and to reverse any action contrary to the JCPoA, to seize the
diplomatic opportunity of the Vienna talks, and to return to full compliance with its
JCPoA commitments.
In this context, we are deeply concerned by the continued limits placed on the
IAEA’s monitoring and surveillance activities in Iran. The temporary technical
understanding between the IAEA and Iran in place until 24 June does not diminish
the core need for Iran to restore all accesses by resuming its provisional application
of the Additional Protocol and reinstating all JCPoA-related transparency provisions
in full.
Iran must co-operate fully with the IAEA and grant unimpeded access to all relevant
sites and activities to ensure the Agency can continue to fulfil its reporting mandate
under UNSCR 2231 regarding Iran’s nuclear-related JCPoA commitments.
In limiting IAEA access, Iran makes it harder for the international community to
assure themselves that Iran’s activities remain exclusively peaceful. We know that
our very serious concerns at Iran’s actions are widely shared among members of this
Board.
The E3 are working intensively with JCPoA participants, and the US, towards the
restoration and revitalisation of the JCPoA. We encourage Iran to seize the
diplomatic opportunity towards a return to full compliance with its JCPoA
commitments to restore the benefits of the JCPoA for all. It is right that this Board
keeps the very serious and significant issues addressed today under active review.
We encourage the DG to keep the Board informed regarding progress on monitoring
and verification in Iran in all its aspects.
We would welcome that the Agency’s latest quarterly report on monitoring and
verification in Iran be made public.
Thank you.
Press release distributed by Media Pigeon on behalf of GOV.UK, on Jun 9, 2021. For more information subscribe and follow