In response, Grossi and Blinken wring their hands and issue schoolmarmish statements that put their weakness on full and abundant display.
“Fatal blow to JCPOA if Iran doesn’t restore access within 3-4 weeks – IAEA,” by Yonah Jeremy Bob and Omri Nahmias, Jerusalem Post, June 9, 2022:
IAEA Director-General Rafael Grossi warned that if Iran does not reopen access points to the agency’s inspectors within three to four weeks, the 2015 Iran nuclear deal would suffer a “fatal blow,” because the International Atomic Energy Agency would no longer be able to estimate the status of Iran’s nuclear program.
Grossi went so far as to say that even if the US and world powers reached a new deal with Iran sometime after four weeks, his agency would be unable to competently advise them how much Tehran would need to reduce its nuclear program to prevent it from crossing the nuclear threshold.
On Wednesday night, the IAEA Board of Governors voted to censure Iran for its violations. Grossi said that Iran told the agency it would shut off 27 surveillance cameras at several key nuclear facilities.
At the same time, the IAEA chief said that around 40 cameras would continue to operate. The agency’s access to its own cameras has been intermittent since February 2021.
Grossi indicated that after three to four weeks, the IAEA would lose its “point of continuity” at which it could estimate Iran’s nuclear status, based on partial data.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a statement later on Thursday that said Iran must cooperate with the IAEA, “and provide technically credible information in response to the IAEA’s questions, which is the only way to remove these safeguards issues from the board’s agenda.
“Unfortunately, Iran’s initial response to the board’s action has not been to address the lack of cooperation and transparency that prompted a negative report from the IAEA director-general and such strong concern in the board, but instead to threaten further nuclear provocations and further reductions of transparency.”
“Such steps would be counterproductive and would further complicate our efforts to return to full implementation of the JCPOA. The only outcome of such a path will be a deepening nuclear crisis and further economic and political isolation for Iran. We continue to press Iran to choose diplomacy and de-escalation instead.”
He noted, however, that the United States remained committed “to a mutual return to full implementation of the JCPOA. We are prepared to conclude a deal on the basis of the understandings we negotiated with our European allies in Vienna over many months. Such a deal has been available since March, but we can only conclude negotiations and implement it if Iran drops its additional demands that are extraneous to the JCPOA.”
IAEA criticism of Iran
After the IAEA issued a resolution critical of Tehran on Wednesday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi responded on Thursday by saying Iran will not change its position, Iranian state media reported.
“In the name of God and the great nation of Iran, we will not back off a single step from our positions,” Raisi said in a speech in southwestern Iran. A video of the speech was carried by state media….
Aloha Akbar says
Just need an Israeli “Tom Cruise” to do a Top Gun Maverick on the facilities
Black Sabbath says
They turn off cameras to avoid embarrassment to islamic clerics if caught in action with goats. I
gregbeetham says
Biden, Blinken and Co are completely out of their depth, they have zero understanding of what they are dealing with.
Westman says
Just another cat1 and cat2 distraction game while the mice make off with the cheese. JCPOA was an Iranian version of Kabuki Theater from its inception.
Expect Iran to have a nuclear bomb by the end of the Biden Presidency and, likely, a missile for delivery.
OLD GUY says
IAEA, what exactly do they do and how successful are they. Or is the IAEA just another political appointed group making big bucks off tax payers for their support to the political parties. Kinda like Hunter being on a board of directors.