Iran threatened on Monday to stop snap inspections from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) if other signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal it signed with world powers do not fulfill their “obligations” by later this month.
“Technical issues should be asked of the Atomic Energy Organization, but if the other party fails to fulfill its obligations on that day (February 25), the government is obliged to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh, according to Rudaw.
The Additional Protocol allows IAEA inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities under the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), signed by Iran and six other world powers.
The decision does not mean the “end of all supervision,” Khatibzadeh said, but ceasing supervision beyond the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) safeguards.
“All these measures will be reversible provided the other parties adhere to their obligations,” he added.
His comments come amid questions about the future of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 agreement nearly three years ago and reimposed sanctions on Iran. The Islamic Republic, in turn, has gradually scaled back its compliance with the 2015 deal.
Current President Joe Biden has expressed a desire to return to the 2015 agreement but has stressed he would return to the 2015 agreement if Iran returned to compliance with it.
Iran has repeatedly made clear that it will not renegotiate the original agreement.
Iran’s Intelligence Minister, Mahmoud Alavi, warned the West last week that his country could push for a nuclear weapon if the international sanctions on Tehran remain in place.
Biden has made clear that the US will not lift its sanctions on Tehran until Iran freezes its uranium enrichment.