TEHRAN/JEDDAH: Iran bowed to pressure from Washington and the UN nuclear watchdog on Wednesday and agreed to new monitoring cameras being installed at a workshop that makes parts for centrifuges that enrich uranium.
One of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s four cameras in the workshop at the TESA Karaj complex was destroyed in an Israeli sabotage attack in June. Iran then removed all the cameras and banned the agency from replacing them.
The US threatened to confront Tehran at the IAEA’s 35-nation board of governors if it did not change its mind, a confrontation that would have led to the collapse of talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has been seeking to replace the devices which Iran says were damaged in a June attack it blames on Israel.
"In a gesture of goodwill, Iran is allowing the IAEA to install new cameras to replace those damaged in a sabotage operation" against the Karaj nuclear site, said the Nour news agency, considered close to Iran's National Security Council.
"This is a voluntary action by Iran to end misunderstandings in its relations with the IAEA," it said.
"Due to the completion of the safety investigation of the damaged cameras, as well as the agency's decision to condemn the sabotage in the TESA complex and to accept the technical inspection of the cameras by Iranian experts before their installation, Iran has authorised the agency to replace the damaged cameras with new ones," it added.
Iran accuses its arch foe Israel of being behind a "sabotage" attack on the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop on June 23.
At the time it had said it thwarted the attack on the building without identifying the nature of the incident.
Until Wednesday, Iran had turned down the IAEA's requests to replace the cameras. Negotiations resumed on Thursday last week to try to revive a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, which the United States withdrew from under Donald Trump in 2018.
Iran says it only wants to develop a civilian capability but Western powers say its stockpile of enriched uranium goes well beyond that, and could be used to develop a nuclear weapon.The Islamic republic has always denied wanting a nucleararsenal.
The development was also reported by other Iranian news agencies.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi. (AP File)
“The agreement with Iran on replacing surveillance cameras at the Karaj facility is an important development for the IAEA’s verification and monitoring activities in Iran,” agency chief Rafael Grossi said. “I sincerely hope we can continue our constructive discussions to also address and resolve all outstanding safeguards issues in Iran.”
However, Wednesday’s agreement did not address the issue of missing footage from the camera that was destroyed. The IAEA and Western powers have called on Iran to explain where it is.
The bigger the gap in knowledge of what goes on at Karaj, the greater the concern among Western and Gulf states that Iran has secretly siphoned off key parts for uranium centrifuges.
