Iran Press/ Europe: "We, the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, deeply regret that Iran has started, as of today, to suspend the Additional Protocol and the transparency measures under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Iran’s actions are a further violation of its commitments under the JCPOA and significantly reduces safeguards oversight by the IAEA," the statement from the governments of France, Germany, and the UK read.
"The E3 are united in underlining the dangerous nature of this decision. It will significantly constrain the IAEA’s access to sites and to safeguards-relevant information. It will also constrain the IAEA’s ability to monitor and verify Iran’s nuclear programme and nuclear-related activities, as per its reporting mandate under United Nations Security Council resolution 2231," it added.
The statement continued: "We commend and fully support the Director-General and the Secretariat for their continued efforts to implement the necessary verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear commitments under the JCPOA in the present context, as highlighted by the DG’s visit to Tehran on the 20 and 21st of February. We take note of the conclusion of a temporary bilateral understanding between the IAEA and Iran which preserves for up to three months the possibility of access to certain information."
"We urge Iran to stop and reverse all measures that reduce transparency and to ensure full and timely cooperation with the IAEA. Our objective remains to preserve the JCPoA and to support ongoing diplomatic efforts for a negotiated solution allowing for the return of Iran and the U.S. to full compliance with their JCPoA commitments," it concluded.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced on Tuesday that due to the law adopted by the parliament, the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol was stopped as of today, February 23.
On December 1, Iranian lawmakers passed the bill of “Strategic Action Plan to Lift Sanctions and Safeguard Interests of Iranian People,” which intends to counteract sanctions imposed on Iran after President Donald Trump on May 8, 2018, pulled the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. The bill became law after Iran’s Guardian Council ratified it a day later.
According to the new law, the Iranian administration is required to suspend more commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed by Iran and six world powers on July 14 that year.
Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached a “temporary bilateral technical understanding” during the visit of the IAEA chief to Tehran, according to a joint statement.
The joint statement, which was released by the Agency following its director-general’s trip to Tehran on Sunday, declares that Iran will stop its voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and will deny IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear facilities beyond the Safeguards Agreement as of February 23, 2021, for three months.
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