Tomorrow, Iran will stop its voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and will deny IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear facilities beyond the Safeguards Agreement, the spokesman for Secretariat of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said, adding that these issues were explained to Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency during his visit to Tehran.
Implementation of the parliament’s law does not mean Iran's withdrawal from JCPOA and cessation of cooperation with the IAEA, he said, adding that therefore Iran's interactions with the IAEA and its safeguards will continue in accordance with the legal framework.
Referring to the joint statement between Iran and the IAEA issued upon during Grossi's visit to Tehran, he said that the Iran-IAEA statement specifies the full implementation of the parliament's law and the arrangements for its implementation have not been distorted.
According to a joint statement released by the IAEA late on Sunday following its director-general’s trip to Tehran on Sunday, Iran will stop its voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and will deny IAEA inspectors access to its nuclear facilities beyond the Safeguards Agreement as of February 23, 2021 for three months.
Accordingly, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) informed the IAEA that in order to comply with the act passed by the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran called ‘Strategic Action to Cease Actions and Protect the Interests of Iranian Nation’, Iran will stop the implementation of the voluntary measures as envisaged in the JCPOA, as of 23 February 2021.
The agreement was reached following IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi's visit to Iran, during which he held separate meetings with Ali Akbar Salehi, the Iranian vice-president and AEOI chief, as well as Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
Earlier on Sunday, Zarif said that the Islamic Republic will be open to negotiations on reviving the historic 2015 nuclear accord once all signatories begin fulfilling their obligations.
Iranian lawmakers on Sunday once again highlighted the necessity of stopping the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty if the sanctions remain in place.
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