Iran won't deliver nuclear activities' record to IAEA: Parliament speaker

Iran will not deliver records of its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency after a temporary understanding reached in January expired, Parliament Speaker said

Iran will not deliver records of its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after a temporary understanding reached in January expired, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said.

"Nothing was extended, and therefore none of the items recorded inside will ever be given to the agency," Xinhua news agency quoted Qalibaf as saying on Sunday.

Answering a question by an MP in a public session, the Speaker added that the records are in possession of the Iranian authorities, and Tehran's Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions (SAPCS) law is being "thoroughly" implemented.

The SAPCS act was passed by Parliament in December 2020, requiring among other measures the Iranian executive branch to stop implementing the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by February 23, in case the sanctions imposed on the country by the US were not lifted.

The IAEA and Iranian officials reached a temporary understanding in February to keep the Agency's monitoring cameras under Tehran's supervision for a period of three months up to May 24, and deliver the records to the agency only after sanctions on the country are lifted.

On June 25, the IAEA required an "immediate response" from Iran regarding the "possible continued collection, recording and retention of data", as contemplated in the temporary understanding, the media reported.

Iran's Ambassador to Vienna-based international organizations, Kazem Gharibabadi said on June 26 that Tehran's continued collection of data was "solely based on good will, and not as part of its obligations" towards the IAEA.

"Iran is not bound by any commitment to implement the agency's demand," and has "no duty to report on the expired agreement," Gharibabadi added.

Later in the day, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry warned that Tehran will not negotiate endlessly over the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal, urging the US to abandon the "failed legacy" of former President Donald Trump.

The US government under Trump withdrew from the international deal in May 2018 and unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran.

In response, Iran gradually stopped implementing parts of its commitments to the agreement from May 2019.

Since April 6, the Joint Commission of the nuclear agreement have continued discussions about a possible return of the US to the deal and how to ensure the full and its effective implementation.

--IANS

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