Iran demands full UN nuclear deal resolution
Iran has demanded that the UN nuclear watchdog fully resolve outstanding issues related to questions over nuclear material at undeclared sites, amid continued talks to revive its 2015 nuclear deal.
Talks aimed at reviving the agreement over Iran's nuclear programme resumed this week in Vienna, months after they had stalled.
One of the key points of controversy is a probe by the International Atomic Energy Agency on traces of nuclear material found at undeclared Iranian sites, according to Iranian sources.
Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said that the agency should completely resolve the remaining safeguard issues from a technical route by distancing itself from irrelevant and unconstructive political issues.
Amir-Abdollahian reiterated during a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that his country is serious about reaching a strong and lasting agreement, Iran's foreign ministry said.
He said that the outcome of this matter depends on whether the United States wants to make an agreement.
The IAEA's board of governors passed a resolution in June, censuring Iran for failing to explain the discovery of traces of enriched uranium at three previously undeclared sites.
Tehran argued on Friday that the issues surrounding the undeclared sites are political in nature and should not be used as a pretext for abuse against Iran in the future. Nuclear weapons have no place in the doctrine of the Islamic republic of Iran and are contrary to our policies and beliefs, Amir-Abdollahian reiterated on Sunday.
The negotiations to revive the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, began in April 2021 and came to a standstill in March.
The deal gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme in 2015, which guarantees Tehran could not develop a nuclear weapon, something it has always denied wanting to do.
The US unilateral withdrawal from the accord in 2018 and the reimposition of biting economic sanctions caused Iran to start rolling back its commitments.
Russia's envoy to Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov said on Sunday that talks are moving in the right direction. A successful conclusion can be reached very soon, but there is no guarantee until everything is agreed, he told reporters outside the Palais Coburg hotel where the talks are being held.