IAEA Chief Admits: 2015 Nuclear Deal no Longer Relevant

Wednesday, 18 December 2024 | International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] chief Rafael Grossi said the nuclear deal with Iran is no longer relevant and that Iran is enriching uranium to a military grade and is rapidly nearing the position of a nuclear state. Grossi spoke during a visit to the Italian Foreign Ministry on Monday.

"The philosophy of the original Iran deal can be used as a basis but the deal itself, is no longer needed," Grossi said in an interview with the ANSA news agency. He said Iran currently has many more capabilities and is enriching uranium to a level of 60% and to nearly 90%, which is military grade.

He said Iran has been significantly developing its nuclear capabilities. The new regime under President Masoud Pezeshkian is creating an opportunity for new negotiations but they would have to be on a different basis than the talks that led to the original JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] signed in 2015. The IAEA must play a central role, he said, and there must be serious cooperation between the UN agency and the world powers.

"We must reexamine the agreement and find a new technical version of political principles. This is a complex process in which European nations, the United States, China and Russia would have to sit down with the IAEA and come up with a system that is more compatible with the new Iranian reality," Grossi said.