VIENNA (AP) \u2014 The head of the U.N.\u2019s nuclear agency said Saturday that Iran pledged to restore cameras and other monitoring equipment at its nuclear sites and to allow more inspections at a facility where particles of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade were recently detected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But a joint statement issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran\u2019s nuclear body only gave vague assurances that Tehran would address longstanding complaints about the access it gives the watchdog\u2019s inspectors to its disputed nuclear program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and other top officials in Tehran earlier Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOver the past few months, there was a reduction in some of the monitoring activities\u201d related to cameras and other equipment \u201cwhich were not operating,\u201d Grossi told reporters upon his return to Vienna. \u201cWe have agreed that those will be operating again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He did not provide details about which equipment would be restored or how soon it would happen, but appeared to be referring to Iran\u2019s\u00a0removal of surveillance cameras\u00a0from its nuclear sites in June 2022, during an earlier standoff with the IAEA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThese are not words. This is very concrete,\u201d Grossi said of the assurances he received in Tehran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His first visit to Iran in a year came days after the IAEA reported that\u00a0uranium particles enriched up to 83.7%\u00a0\u2014 just short of weapons-grade \u2014 were found in Iran\u2019s underground Fordo nuclear site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The confidential quarterly report by the nuclear watchdog, which was distributed to member nations Tuesday, came as tensions were already high amid\u00a0months of anti-government protests\u00a0in Iran and Western anger at its\u00a0export of attack drones\u00a0to Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IAEA report said inspectors in January found that two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges at Fordo were configured in a way \u201csubstantially different\u201d to what Iran had previously declared. That raised concerns that Iran was speeding up its enrichment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Grossi said the Iranians had agreed to boost inspections at the facility by 50%. He also confirmed the agency\u2019s findings that there has not been any \u201cproduction or accumulation\u201d of uranium at the higher enrichment level, \u201cwhich is a very high level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran has sought to portray any highly enriched uranium particles as a minor byproduct of enriching uranium to 60% purity, which it has been doing openly for some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The chief of Iran\u2019s nuclear program, Mohammad Eslami, acknowledged the findings of the IAEA report at a news conference with Grossi in Tehran but said their \u201cambiguity\u201d had been resolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonproliferation experts say Tehran has no civilian use for uranium enriched to even 60%. A stockpile of material enriched to 90%, the level needed for weapons, could quickly be used to produce an atomic bomb, if Iran chooses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran\u2019s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers limited Tehran\u2019s uranium stockpile and capped enrichment at 3.67% \u2014 enough to fuel a nuclear power plant. It also barred nuclear enrichment at Fordo, which was built deep inside a mountain in order to withstand aerial attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord in 2018, reimposing crushing sanctions on Iran, which then began openly breaching the deal\u2019s restrictions. Efforts by the Biden administration, European countries and Iran to negotiate a return to the deal reached an impasse last summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The joint statement issued Saturday said Iran \u201cexpressed its readiness to continue its cooperation and provide further information and access to address the outstanding safeguards issues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was a reference to a separate set of issues from the highly enriched particles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past four years, the IAEA has accused Iran of stonewalling its investigation into traces of processed uranium found at three undeclared sites in the country. The agency\u2019s 35-member board of governors censured Iran twice last year for failing to fully cooperate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The board could do so again when it meets on Monday, depending in part on how Western officials perceive the results of Grossi\u2019s visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Western officials have suggested the so-called safeguards probe of the three sites could confirm longstanding suspicions that Iran had a nuclear weapons program up until 2003. Iran has long denied ever seeking nuclear weapons and continues to insist that its nuclear program is entirely for peaceful purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dispute over the safeguards probe was the main obstacle in negotiations last year to restore the nuclear agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe process has been long. I have not hidden that for us, it has been too long,\u201d Grossi said, referring to the safeguards issue. But he said there was a \u201cmarked improvement\u201d in his dialogue with Iranian officials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was heard,\u201d he said. \u201cI hope we will be seeing results soon. We will see.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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