IAEA Expected to Focus on Technical Role

Iran expects the International Atomic Energy Agency to play its technical role more often and avoid being influenced by fabricated documents, a top nuclear official said.
“Whenever issues were discussed from a technical angle, the work progressed well and things were settled in the shortest time, but they keep politicizing,” Pejman Shirmardi, deputy at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in an interview with ISNA.
He was referring to the tensions between Tehran and IAEA over nuclear material allegedly found at three old undeclared sites in the country.
Iran dismisses the claim, saying it is based on fabricated intelligence provided by the country’s enemies. 
It provided explanations which the director general dismissed as “uncredible”, leading to the passing of two resolutions against the country by the Board of Governors. 
“We have provided them with comprehensive written reports several times,” Shirmardi said. 
He added that one could easily place some material at a site and give a report to the agency, but the IAEA should deal with it with a technical approach. 
“The nuclear issue is completely technical and whenever the issue was technical, western countries stepped back,” the deputy said. 
“When they reach a point where they have nothing to say in technical terms, they politicize the issues.” 
Those parties seek to find ways to keep this nuclear case open as a trump card against Iran, according to Shirmardi.  

Maximalist Demand

The AEOI head has talked about the three sites in different meetings, saying the case had already been closed and there is no reason for it to be opened again, the nuclear official said. 
Suspicions about the possible military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear activity were dispelled and the case was closed in 2015 when the landmark nuclear deal was signed between Iran and the six world powers, he explained. 
“Therefore, reopening new files such as these three locations is politicization and a maximalist demand.” 
He, however, said that shared points are so much that Iran and the agency can easily reach an agreement if such claims are set aside. 
The 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, curbed Iran’s nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, but the United States pulled out in 2018 and reimposed tough sanctions that prompted Tehran to react by scaling down its commitments. 
Negotiations began in early 2021 to work out how both sides could resume compliance, but the talks have been stalled over final differences, including the IAEA’s safeguards questions. 
Iran demands the closure of the investigations before any deal on JCPOA, arguing that the case is meant to be used as a means of pressure in the future. 
The Islamic Republic also asks for assurances that the US would not violate the deal again under a new government. 
“This is not a big demand to ask for guarantees from the other side that a unilateral exit from the JCPOA would not happen again,” Shirmardi said. 
If the West drops demands that go beyond the scope of the JCPOA, a deal is within reach, he said without elaborating.