Iran has agreed to reconnect surveillance cameras at several nuclear sites and increase the pace of inspections, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Saturday, according to an AFP report.
Grossi, who had visited Tehran on the weekend, earlier said he had held "constructive" talks with Iranian officials after the discovery of uranium particles enriched to near weapons-grade level.
On his return to Vienna, Grossi recalled there had been "a reduction in monitoring activities related to cameras and monitoring systems" and said "we have agreed that those will be operating again".
"This is very, very important" in terms of continuity of knowledge, "in particular in the context of the possibility of the revival of JCPOA", he said, a reference to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is the official name of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Grossi’s visit to Iran followed the IAEA report which said that inspectors in Iran had found uranium particles enriched 83.7%, nearly bomb grade, at the Fordow plant.
The discovery of the uranium comes talks between Iran and world powers on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal remain stalled and have been since September.
Despite the discovery of the uranium, CIA Director William Burns told CBS last weekend that the US believes Iran hasn't yet decided to resume its nuclear weapons program.
“To the best of our knowledge, we don’t believe that the Supreme Leader in Iran has yet made a decision to resume the weaponization program that we judged that they suspended, or stopped, at the end of 2003,” said Burns.
“But the other two legs of the stool, meaning enrichment programs, they’ve obviously advanced very far,” he continued. “They’ve advanced very far to the point that it would only be a matter of weeks before they could enrich to 90% if they chose to cross that line, and also in terms of their missile systems, their ability to deliver a nuclear weapon once they develop it, has also been advancing as well.”
On Tuesday, US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl told lawmakers that Iran could make enough fissile for one nuclear bomb in "about 12 days,", down from the estimated one year it would have taken while the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was in effect.