The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Mariano Grossi, explained, on Tuesday 16 March, that Iran’s nuclear programme was “more dynamic every day” and that it was moving forward in areas prohibited under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
At a joint hearing of the European Parliament’s Committees on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE), Mr Grossi highlighted the “temporary, bilateral and technical” agreement between the IAEA and Iran following Tehran's decision to limit IAEA controls (see EUROPE 12666/20).
“We have been able to provide this minimal but indispensable presence and, on the other hand, we have offered a diplomatic window of opportunity that extends over 90 days in the hope that, in this space, the parties concerned can begin a return to the JCPOA”, Mr Grossi explained. “Without an IAEA presence on the ground, any hope of a credible agreement is impossible”, he said.
Explaining that all parties to the agreement and the US must act to return to full implementation of the JCPOA, the IAEA Director General acknowledged that “over the past two years Iran has accumulated a lot of nuclear material and new capacities”. “Even if we had a magic wand to turn back time and said we go back tomorrow, there will be a lot of housekeeping” to get back to an acceptable situation.
Mr Grossi also called on the EU to continue to cooperate with the international agency on nuclear safety, but also in broader areas involving nuclear techniques and technologies, such as health, crop protection or the fight against plastic pollution. According to him, the IAEA is helping around 130 countries to fight the Covid-19 pandemic by sending PCR tests. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)