Iran blocks IAEA nuclear inspections under Additional Protocol following sanctions deadline
…from PressTV, Tehran
[ Editor’s Note: Iran is holding the high JCPOA ground with its stand to continue reducing its commitments to the deal, when neither the US nor the EU are standing by their commitments in the deal. Iran’s parliament has legislated an end to being on the short end of the stick by cutting back on IAEA inspections.
But another party is lurking in the semi-shadows, one who has made endless threats about a nuclear Mideast when it has refused any access by the IAEA to its nuclear program, especially its weapons arsenal.
Frankly, none of the JCPOA current participants have shown any interest in curbing the “Israeli threat”. The Iranians are within their rights of self defense in light of Israel’s arsenal, as they are faced with its long history of preemptive conventional military attacks on its neighbors.
The Israeli military has publicly stated that its policy would be to preemptively attack any country deemed a ‘potential’ threat BEFORE it reached military parity with Israel.
The rest of the world reacts to this proclamation like it cannot hear very well, and hides its humiliation from the Israelis by claiming other countries, including those threatened by Israel, should never have such ‘destabilizing’ weapons.
Silly me, I would suggest countries within range of Israel’s nukes at least be allowed by the UN and IAEA to have the option of accessing “time shared” nukes, whose use would be limited to defense against rogue nuclear actors threatening preemptive use.
Technically this concept already exists under the UN rules under the right of retaliation for a preemptive attack. It is past time to deal with the Israeli time bomb that is ticking away that can come to no good end. Let me know what you think in the comments… Jim W. Dean ]
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First published … February 23, 2021
Iran has stopped the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Safeguards Agreement that allowed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to carry out short-notice inspections of the country’s nuclear facilities, following a deadline set by Tehran for the removal of US sanctions.
Talking to reporters, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif confirmed that the implementation of the Additional Protocol had been stopped as of Tuesday morning.
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations, also announced late on Monday that all the IAEA’s additional access to the nuclear sites would be halted by midnight.
“As of 12:00 p.m. local time (2030 GMT), we have nothing called obligations beyond the Safeguards Agreement,” he said. “Necessary orders have been issued to nuclear facilities.”
Zarif pointed out that Iran will continue to implement its commitments under the NPT Safeguards Agreements and cooperate with the IAEA.
He explained that footage recorded by cameras at Iran’s nuclear sites will now be withheld and no longer shared with the IAEA on a daily and weekly basis as was done in the past.
The foreign minister also noted that Iran will have no official meeting with the US, since Washington is no longer a party to the nuclear deal. Later on Tuesday, Zarif posted a tweet about the technical understanding reached with IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.
Obliged by law, we halted voluntary implementation of Add’l Protocol.
Fully compatible with JCPOA ¶36 since:
–@POTUS has yet to cease US violation
-E3 continue to fail to meet obligations
Understandings w/ @rafaelmgrossi show our good faith.
All remedial measures reversible.
— Javad Zarif (@JZarif) February 23, 2021
The halt came under the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions, a law passed last December by the Iranian Parliament.
The legislation set February 23 as a deadline for the Iranian government to further scale back compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), if the US does not lift its sanctions against the Islamic Republic.
The withdrawal from the Protocol adds to Iran’s previous steps away from the JCPOA in response to the US’s unilateral withdrawal in 2018 and the other parties’ failure to fulfill their commitments.
Admin. welcomes Leader’s call for unity with Parliament
Additionally, the administration of President Hassan Rouhani on Monday welcomed a call by Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei for it and the Parliament to resolve their rifts and act in unison regarding the anti-sanctions law.
“Negotiations and agreements between the Islamic Republic and the IAEA have been in full compliance with the Constitution and the laws of the country, in particular the resolution of the 759th session of the Supreme National Security Council. All experts and security officials have acknowledged that they (the negotiations and agreements with the IAEA) were the most efficient and the least costly way to fully implement the Parliament’s resolution,” it said in a statement.
“The goal of the Islamic Republic and the definite plan of the government are to realize the rights of the Iranian people, intelligently and decisively confront the illegal actions and policies of the United States, and lift the cruel and inhumane sanctions against the Iranian nation as soon as possible,” it added.
During a visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran on Sunday, the UN nuclear watchdog struck a three-month deal with Iran.
Under the agreement, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) would continue to use cameras to record information at its nuclear sites for three months, but it would retain the information exclusively. If the US sanctions are lifted completely within that period, Iran will provide the footage information to the IAEA, otherwise it will be deleted forever.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, based on its national and legal duties, is now confident that the law passed by the Parliament has been fully enacted so far while taking into account technical considerations and national interests,” the government statement added.
Jahangiri defends Iran-IAEA deal
In a post on his twitter account, Iranian First Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri said the Iran-IAEA deal is “within the framework of the law and the principles of wisdom, dignity and expediency.”
“Inspections beyond the Safeguards Agreement ended. At the same time, Iran once again showed its goodwill to the world and the IAEA,” he said.
“The art of authoritative diplomacy is to break deadlocks,” he added.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has indicated willingness to rejoin the JCPOA, but it has been dragging its feet on taking any meaningful measure to undo the former US government’s wrongs.
It has conditioned the US’s return to the nuclear accord on Tehran’s resumption of the commitments it has suspended under the JCPOA.
However, Tehran says it will retrace its nuclear countermeasures only after the US lifts its sanctions in a verifiable manner.
US keeps up anti-Iran rhetoric
Addressing the UN-sponsored Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington is working with allies and partners seeking to “lengthen and strengthen the JCPOA” and address Iran’s regional role and missiles program.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Jen Psaki claimed that Iran is “a long way from compliance, and that hasn’t changed. I said that last week, and many — and I believe my colleague, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, conveyed that just yesterday. That has not changed. “
The Iranians, she added, “have clearly not taken the steps needed to comply, and we have not taken any steps or — and made any indication that we are going to meet the demands that they are putting forward either.”
Separately, State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US is “concerned to hear that Iran intends to cease implementation of the Additional Protocol and other measures this week. We note the announcement that Iran will continue to implement its obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreements with the IAEA fully and without limitation, and that the IAEA and Iran have reached a temporary bilateral technical understanding regarding verification and monitoring activities.
“If Iran returns to full compliance with the Iran deal, the United States would be prepared to do the same. We would then use the JCPOA as a basis for a longer and stronger agreement and negotiate follow-on agreements to cover other areas of concern,” he said.
Jim W. Dean is VT Editor Emeritus. He was an active editor on VT from 2010-2022. He was involved in operations, development, and writing, plus an active schedule of TV and radio interviews. He now writes and posts periodically for VT.
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Trump cancelled the ‘mutual agreement.’ That is it! Iran is free to do as they please. Iran has as much RIGHT to self defense as the Zionist Apartheid Terror state of Israel, that has turned the Middle East into HELL on Earth, since they moved in there. It isn’t Iran, it is the Zionist Talmudic Supremacist Terror state that is the CANCER in the region! What they do with their ‘False Flag’ attacks? “LAVON Affair!” “USS LIBERTY!” and don’t forget the; Controlled Demolition successful ‘False Flag’ attack on ‘9/11/2001’ against the American People. With a friend like the Zionist terror state, who needs enemies? Also TRUE! With a friend like the Zionist Terror state one has many enemies! TIKUN OLAM! Peace-Salam-Shalom!
You missed or twisted my point. I did not mention a word about Iran’s nuclear weapons becaue I have no information whatsoever about them. I have editorialized on VT for years that everybody has the right under the UN charter to defend themselve and to retaliate against attacks. I have never heard of a UN restriction where you can’t retaliate against a nuclear attack, like a decapitation strike. The main point of my missive is that the endless fear mongering about Iranian aggression is similar to the hoax of the Russian one where it faces a 10 to one superior armed West, US and NATO. The main threat to everybody in the Mideast is Israel because it has and will use its nukes when it damn well pleases, yet the world is mum on the inconvenient truth. We like to twist that knife here whenever we can. It’s our job. 🙂
Zigi, there is no ‘moderator’. We use to have volunteers but they usually quit after a few months over the endless bickering. It is much less now. Article authors of course have control over their comment boards, and sometimes the editors pop in when they have the time. We like to have a feel for reader response and have even had commenters become good sources. We never have board meetings or discussions about comments. There is just no time. On the flip side, we often contact entities with questions and the large majority never respond. They are busy, too. It’s call information overload. We do the best we can, when we can. Remember, a small core group runs VT’s content 365 days a year as volunteers. There is no mob at the door wanting to take our spots!! 🙂 We do it because we have had the career path skills to do it, and we enjoy it. When we no longer do, we will stop. We are hoping to keep going to 80, maybe even 85. We will quit when we are wearing bibs for sure as the quality will be off a bit. But the archives will survive, tens of thousands of articles. We are starting to rerun more as there is so much great material there, and a lot of the contributors are dead now.
Seems this is progressing just about the way I thought it would. Biden has made it pretty clear from the git-go that he intended to continue the Trump line…Iran concedes first, agrees to missile containment and bends over. I just don’t think this is gonna happen. Iran is in the right and the US and EU are using the media to present them as in violation. Great way to start re-engaging, as if there ever was an intention to in earnest. I doubt there will be anything but war in the future, as Biden and the rest of the lying sacks of shit (CONgress, Israel) are showing their true intentions as they lie, lie, lie. Who would be stupid enough to trust any agreement with the US, especially one where you basically give in to all their demands…with zero assurances (such as they would be) of quid pro quo…only a promise ‘to reconsider’ options. Fk that.
Iran says to kiss my ass on Tuesday, Iranian militias bombed by US jets in Syria on Thursday.
Could be a connection eh….
VT reports 3 trucks full of ammo and soldiers destroyed, 22 people killed many more seriously injured while
CBS reports only 1 person killed and “dont worry” just two jets used in attack and he was terrorist who fired missles into a US airbase.
Looks like Biden going full Obama on military engagements: First the nobel peace prize to placate public, quickly followed by secret drone strikes with thousands of civilian deaths never reported in media.
I think that you have an excellent idea, Jim.
Perhaps some Billionaires could put together a lease plan.
We know that nukes are on the market.
I am all on board a world nuclear arsenal under control of the twelve wise men, to guarantee any first strike country to be redendered never a threat again. The problem there is the US even now has a first strike policy going PAST the only for an imminent threat. It was changed, with no outrage whatsoever from our people, vet orgs, media, academics, no one…to a policy basically of “whenever deemed necessary”.
I can’t take how badly this is reported in the U.S. and it works to make the average American a vicious thug when it comes to Iran. I read Breitbart comments after a story about S.Korea giving Iran $8B that they withheld for two years after getting $8B of oil. What was the response? ‘You can expect more terrorism now’, ‘Pallets of cash from Biden’ ‘Biden is a traitor’ ‘You can’t appease terrorists’.
The stupidity is off the charts. The U.S. or Israel would have bombed S.Korea two years ago had they tried to pull that stunt with us but to these clowns are acting as if this is ransom money. Iran cannot reason with us. They have to win.
Yes, the Iranians worked out that they were not going to get their money just by asking nicely for it. so they seized a tanker full of oil that South Korea had paid for and held it until the SKs paid up. That is, evidently, the way to deal with US puppets.
Yes the “average American became a vicious thug” when it comes to Iran & the Middle East in General.
After US President G.W.Bush ( the holy man in the White House ) became a War Criminal by invading Iraq , MILLIONS OF BROWN people have been murdered , injured ,displaced & their countries DEVESTATED.
Americans have their mantra ” bombing for peace” USA–USA–USA.
.
The only reason to ever go to Breitbart is to see just how stupid, easily led and paranoid Americans can be. Any comment questioning their paradigm or embarrassing to repugs/Tramp is deleted. Funny how they are supposed to be against dem war-mongers, but everything they (and their commenters) print leads in that direction…war/confrontation. Deal with countries on an even footing? Are you kidding? Admit we cheat, lie and steal? Only for a political sound bite, never in real life dealings with others. Strange how their idea is not to ‘come around’, but to double-down….how MSM/Israeli of them…and they say they are against so-called Deep State? Hell, they are DS. If you really want to gag, watch last weeks 60 minutes. they start off with Assad, the evil dictator that slaughters/gases his own people…and goes downhill from there.
The tanker was just a drop in the bucket in terms of the money involved. There is a piece missing to this story. When I read about it, it did not seem like a “deal” had been done, but that one was being discussed, the S. Koreans “wanted” to do it but would need US permission. One can hardly call that a “deal”. In my humble opionion all the deal talk is just for show if it does not include getting the Israeli nuclear arsenal under control. All proposals so far hold sacrosant that the Israei’s can be a first strike nuclear threat to anybody and that is OK, and anybody who does not like it is an anti-semite that must be punished. It’s a pitiful situation.
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