Shorouk Express 
BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 9. Tehran will cut
cooperation with the agency in retaliation if a resolution against
Iran is passed at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Board of Governors meeting, said Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trend reports.
Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Baghaei stated that
Iran has outlined several responses as countermeasures.
“The other parties are well aware of Iran’s capabilities and
potential,” he said, adding that decisions regarding these actions
will be made in coordination with the Atomic Energy Organization of
Iran (AEOI) and other relevant bodies.
Baghaei reiterated that Iran’s stance has always been to
cooperate with the IAEA in the framework of the Treaty on the
Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and safeguards
agreements. He emphasized that over the past two years, Iran has
taken significant steps toward collaboration with the IAEA.
However, he lamented that the agency had prepared a report under
pressure from three European countries and the U.S., which was
subsequently exploited by those countries to draft a resolution
targeting Iran.
On January 16, 2016, the JCPOA came into force between Iran and
the P5+1 group (US, Russia, China, the UK, France, and Germany)
regarding Iran’s nuclear program. However, on May 8, 2018, the US
withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)
between Iran and the 5+1 group (Russia, China, the UK, France, the
US, and Germany) and imposed new sanctions on Iran starting from
November 2018.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a
strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions,
leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional
Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.
The IAEA stated in its latest report that as of May 17, 2024,
Iran had 408.6 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent. The
amount of uranium enriched to 60 percent increased by 133.8
kilograms compared to the report given in February. The report
considered that enrichment at this level was a short technical step
to the 90 percent enrichment level (considered weapons-grade). The
agency called on Iran to cooperate fully and effectively.
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