Mohammad Eslami said on Monday that the administration of US President Joe Biden claimed it intended to return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and initiated negotiations accordingly.
He added that the Islamic Republic, under both the previous and incumbent governments, negotiated with parties to the nuclear deal, but it has been pursuing these talks in a different manner since last year.
“They raised everything they could about the Safeguards issues and several locations previously closed as 'PMD' (Possible Military Dimensions),” Eslami said.
“They said they wanted to inspect these sites, yet these are not (nuclear) sites and are not related to the Atomic Energy Organization. They were fabricated by Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MKO) and the spying services of the Zionist regime,” he added.
Eslami further explained that these matters were brought up in the Supreme National Security Council, leading to a decision for IAEA inspectors to examine the disputed sites, he said. The inspectors conducted their investigations, and Iran subsequently provided a report to the IAEA, he added.
“But they intended to keep the issues alive and use them as a lever of pressure against Iran,” the official pointed out.
However, Eslami, emphasized that questions surrounding two of the sites were resolved and the UN nuclear watchdog declared it had no further questions about them.
Highlighting Iran’s commitment to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Eslami maintained that the country's nuclear activities are conducted within the framework of a 2020 parliamentary law, dubbed the Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions.
The law mandates the Iranian government to counter the effects of sanctions imposed on the country after the United States unilaterally abandoned the nuclear deal in 2018, while taking steps to further advance the nuclear program.
“We are a member of the NPT, and this treaty has been ratified by the Iranian parliament. Therefore, we are committed to its implementation, and our nuclear activities are carried out within the framework of these laws,” Eslami said.
“The agency also regularly conducts its inspections,” he added.
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