UN inspectors will have "less access" in Iran, but the International Atomic Energy Agency will still be able to carry out inspections — at least for the next three months.
Iranian lawmakers and the UN nuclear watchdog have agreed on a temporary solutionImage: STR/AFP/Getty Images
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United Nations inspectors will continue to monitor Iran's nuclear program, but with "less access," the UN atomic watchdog's chief said Sunday.
Tehran also hoped to pressure the US to lift sanctions and re-commit to the 2015 multinational nuclear deal — formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
What did the UN watchdog and Iran agree on?
The IAEA and Iran reached a "technical solution," said IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on return from emergency talks in Tehran.
As part of the deal, the IAEA will "retain the necessary degree of monitoring and verification" in Iran, Grossi added.
The number of inspectors on the ground would remain the same but the types of activities they can carry out will change, said Grossi. He did not give further details.
He stressed monitoring would continue "in a satisfactory manner.''
The solution will remain in place for up to three months.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told Iranian state television on Sunday ahead of his meeting with Grossi that the IAEA would be prevented from accessing footage from their cameras at nuclear sites.
Iran nuclear deal — treaty under threat
A year after Donald Trump pulled the US from the international nuclear accord with Iran, the Middle East nation announced it would no longer adhere to some "voluntary commitments" in the accord.
Image: picture-alliance/epa/D. Calma
The deal breaker
President Donald Trump announced on May 8, 2018 that he was pulling the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, arguing that the international accord was not in America's "national interest." The decision threw a cloud of uncertainty over the future of the nuclear accord and raised tensions with US allies in Europe.
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
Slap in the face
Britain, France and Germany lobbied the Trump administration and Congress to remain in the nuclear accord, arguing that the deal was working and a US violation without a follow up plan would be destabilizing. In European capitals, the Trump administration's withdrawal was viewed as a slap in the face of allies.
Image: Reuters/K. Lamarque
Iran scrap 'voluntary commitments'
A year to the day after Trump's announcement, Iran informed the other signatories of the accord that they would no longer adhere to certain "voluntary commitments." Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the signatory nations had 60 days to implement promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors or Iran would resume the enrichment of uranium.
The decision came after the United States deployed an aircraft, the USS Lincoln, along with a bomber task force to the Middle East. Washington said the deployment was intended as a "clear unmistakable message." Iran said it took action because the European Union and others "did not have the power to resist US pressure."
Image: AP
A triumph of diplomacy
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by United States, China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain (P5+1) and Iran following years of negotiations. Under the international agreement, Iran agreed to dismantle its nuclear program and be subject to monitoring in exchange for the lifting of international nuclear related sanctions.
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Compliance and verification
The JCPOA includes a robust monitoring, verification and inspection regime carried out by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The UN watch dog has verified Iran's compliance with the deal in 12 quarterly reports. The JCPOA allows Iran to pursue a peaceful nuclear program for commercial, medical and industrial purposes in line with international non-proliferation standards.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/R. Schlager
Obama's achievement
The Iran nuclear deal was President Barack Obama's signature foreign policy achievement. Seeking to undo nearly every Obama administration legacy, Trump came into office calling it the "worst deal ever." The Trump administration argues the nuclear deal doesn't address other unrelated issues such as Iran's ballistic missiles, regional influence, support for "terrorist" groups and human rights.
Image: Reuters/Y. Gripas
Iranians approved
The nuclear deal and lifting of punishing nuclear related international sanctions created optimism in Iran after years of economic isolation. However, even before Trump pulled the US out of the deal, Tehran blamed the US for holding back international investment and not fulfilling its end of the bargain due to the uncertainty created by Trump's threats.
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The opponents
After eight years with Barack Obama, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu found the US president he wanted in Donald Trump. The Israeli leader repeatedly slammed the deal despite his own military and intelligence chiefs' assessment the that JCPOA, while not perfect, was working and should be maintained. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the other main opponents of the nuclear deal.
Image: Reuters/R. Zvulun
Who's left?
The EU-3 (Britain, France, Germany) have scrambled to ensure that Iran receives the economic benefits it was promised in order to avoid Tehran pulling out of the deal. As EU businesses face retaliation from the US for doing business with Iran, many are opting to avoid Iran. This would likely be a present to Chinese and Russian businesses.
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Is the solution a success?
"The hope of the IAEA has been to stabilize a situation which was very unstable," Grossi said at the airport after his arrival back in Vienna, where the agency is based.
"It salvages this situation now, but, of course, for a stable, sustainable situation there will have to be a political negotiation and that is not up to me," Grossi explained.
But the reduced monitoring helped "avoid a situation in which we would have been, in practical terms, flying blind," Grossi added.
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Why did Iran want to stop UN watchdog visits?
The US in 2018, under the Trump administration, took a hard line against Iran. It pulled out of the 2015 nuclear pact and reinstated sanctions. These have badly hurt Iran's economy.
In response, Iran has been breaking key limits on uranium enrichment and uranium metal laid out in the 2015 deal. It wants sanctions lifted and a return to the terms of the pact.
Newly-elected US President Joe Biden recently called for European powers to come together and curb Iran's "destabilizing" activities. Biden made a commitment to rejoin talks on Iran's nuclear program.
