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The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog welcomed on Thursday the signing of the memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States, saying it now paves the way for carrying out the technical work needed to implement this agreement.
“It’s a good thing that this memorandum of understanding has been concluded. The technical work starts now,” said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during a press briefing in Geneva.
According to press reports, the memorandum of understanding signed on Wednesday provides, in particular, for a maximum 60-day negotiation period to reach a “final agreement” on issues such as Iran’s uranium enrichment, with Iran also needing to reaffirm that it has no intention of developing a nuclear weapon.Among the other requirements listed in the protocol text are the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to all navigation and a relaxation of the sanctions imposed by the United States and the UN Security Council on this Middle Eastern country. The ‘immediate and definitive cessation of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon’ is also included in the 14-point memorandum.
Recognition of the IAEA’s key role
The head of the IAEA expressed the agency’s willingness to ‘sit at the negotiating table’ with both parties to help them implement concrete measures, including the verification of Iran’s nuclear program.”We believe that recognizing the indispensable role of the IAEA is a good starting point,” said Rafael Mariano Grossi. “It is now up to us to sit down with our American and Iranian colleagues to start defining the concrete measures that need to be taken. So, I think it’s a good thing that this memorandum exists. The technical work starts now.”
And this ‘technical work’ now consists of translating the general principles of the agreements ‘into concrete measures to be implemented.’ He emphasized that the scope of the IAEA’s work would be determined by the final provisions of the agreement, and that the technical discussions would aim to specify the general principles.Negotiations carried out in good faith
“So the possibilities are there (…). You’ve seen that the texts mention the possibility of a technical work on lowering the enrichment level. But from that, there are several, several possibilities that open up,” stressed Mr. Grossi, noting “a moment of huge responsibility” for his agency.
The head of the UN agency in charge of inspecting nuclear facilities in Iran refused to speculate on potential roadblocks “because we are about to start and we have to begin any negotiation on the assumption that we are all acting in good faith and that we want to succeed.”
But the fact that the United States and Iran specify that this will be done under the supervision and control of the IAEA is “very important.””We are going to define what we need to see and what we need access to,” Mr. Grossi explained, emphasizing that from now on we have to be ‘cautious’ and refrain from any comments that anticipate events.
A ‘very complex’ mission
The head of the IAEA admits that this huge task remains ‘a very complex operation,’ in which every ‘detail’ will matter. ‘So we will have to be very, very precise. We will set up the necessary technical arrangements, no more, no less. We know exactly what is needed and we will do it,’ he insisted.Answering a question about a possible agreed reduction in Iran’s uranium enrichment level, the head of the IAEA noted that ‘many possibilities’ could be explored.
‘There are many different options… Iran’s current stock has different enrichment levels, and we’ll see what is agreed upon.’
During this meeting with the international press, the IAEA Director General acknowledged that the agency’s access to all Iranian nuclear facilities is ‘not yet at the desired level nor at all sites where it should be.’
But contacts with Tehran’s authorities are ongoing, and the agency has ‘a pretty good idea’ of the ‘specific elements and locations’ its teams should have access to. ‘Now, I would say, the technical work can truly begin,’ Mr. Grossi concluded.
