IAEA Seeks to Expedite Implementation of Agreement With Iran

Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency said he is trying to expedite the process of implementing agreement with Iran to prevent tension. 
Speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, Japan, Rafael Grossi pointed to his agreement with Iranian officials in March, saying the two sides have “a number of pending issues.”
He added, however that the implementation of the deal has been “extremely slow”, according to Anadolu Agency. 
“I am trying to speed things up, in order to avoid a regain of tension in that part of the world,” he said 
Grossi visited the Iranian capital in March to resolve ambiguities over the country’s nuclear activity. The two sides reached a joint agenda for measures to facilitate bilateral cooperation.
As a result, accusations about Iran’s enrichment of uranium to nearly 84% have reportedly been withdrawn following explanations provided by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. 
The IAEA has also closed the case of one of the three undeclared sites where it claims uranium particles have been found. 
Moreover, 10 surveillance cameras were brought back into operation at a centrifuge manufacturing workshop in Isfahan Province, according to Iranian officials. 
The director general, however, said cooperation with Iran was not satisfactory.
“Cooperation with Iran continues but not at the level that I would like it to be,” he said. “I have told this to my Iranian counterparts.” 
Besides the obligations of the Non-Proliferation Treaty, Iran had agreed to stricter monitoring and verification by the IAEA under the 2015 nuclear deal, but curbed its cooperation following the agreement’s unraveling. 
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is formally called, had promised sanctions relief to Tehran in return for restrictions on its nuclear activity, but the United States reimposed sweeping sanctions after its withdrawal in 2018, prompting Tehran to take reciprocal measures, including changes in the level of cooperation with the agency. 
Negotiations have been underway since early 2021 to restore the deal, but have been stalled since last August. 
Grossi called the situation regarding the JCPOA “difficult.”
“The situation is difficult … JCPOA efforts have stalled at the moment … so there is not much on going there,” the IAEA chief noted.