Full restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran remains the best possible option to avert a nuclear crisis and provide Tehran with sanctions relief, but the Raisi administration’s approach to talks and the country’s growing nuclear program risks jeopardizing those efforts.
As negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear deal resumed, Iran’s uranium-enrichment program continued to grow, deepening international concerns.
Iran continues to block International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors from accessing a nuclear facility and installing new surveillance equipment.
Iran’s refusal to allow inspectors to access a site where centrifuge components are produced is escalating tensions ahead of the resumption of talks to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran has said it will resume talks, stalled since June, on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
IAEA Chief Supports Iran Censure
European Union Deputy Secretary-General Enrique Mora met with Iranian officials in Tehran Oct. 14. While the meeting was constructive, Iran is not yet ready to return to negotiations in Vienna to continue talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal. During a trip to Washington, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi said he plans to travel to Iran in the coming days to try and resolve a dispute over access to a centrifuge component production facility.
Iran avoided a censure from the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors by striking a last-minute deal with the agency that allowed inspectors to access monitoring equipment at several nuclear facilities.
New leadership in Iran, historical factors and a complicated geostrategic environment are driving
Iranian decision-making, thus making compromise with the West on the nuclear deal unlikely.
With political will, diplomatic skill, and some luck, the JCPOA could survive in some form and become
a cornerstone for future regional weapons of mass destruction and security agreements.
Laying markers at the UN General Assembly, the U.S., and Iranian leaders reaffirmed interest in restoring the Iran nuclear deal but negotiations remain stalled.
Iran and the IAEA reached a critical agreement that likely staved off a resolution censuring Tehran at the agency's Board of Governors meeting. Two new reports by the IAEA highlight Iran's accelerated nuclear activities and its failure to cooperate with IAEA investigations.
A Sept. 7 report by the IAEA highlights the dire reality of agency efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.
A Sept. 7 report by the IAEA highlights the dire reality of agency efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities.
There are signs that newly inaugurated Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi may demand more concessions from the United States.