(JUNE 9–WASHINGTON) In light of Iran’s censure this week at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting and Iran’s response of further limiting IAEA oversight abilities at its nuclear facilities and its installation of more advanced centrifuges, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation released the following statement by Executive Director and former Congressman John Tierney:
“This latest cycle of escalation is all too predictable and further reinforces the need for the United States and Iran to re-enter the Iran nuclear deal in order to reimpose the most invasive inspection regime ever negotiated on Iran’s nuclear program,” Tierney said.
“It is precisely because Iran had a clandestine nuclear weapons program two decades ago that we need to verify its peaceful nature today. It bears reiterating that it is Iran’s responsibility under international law, regardless of the status of the deal, to cooperate with the IAEA and provide answers to any outstanding issues, and it should do so immediately. Full stop. However, today, the IAEA is ‘flying blind’ about the details of Iran’s activities because it is unable to retrieve surveillance data being stored on the agency’s cameras as a consequence of U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal in 2018. These new steps mean the IAEA is losing more data every day and it will be harder to trace every aspect of Iran’s nuclear program should negotiators find a diplomatic off-ramp to escalation. Once again, the United States, and the world, are better off with the limitations on Iran’s nuclear program than without them.”
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