Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says that if the “snapback mechanism” is activated, Iran will suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Larijani made the remarks in an interview with PBS, responding to Western claims that Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, on Thursday.
He emphasized that the IAEA has previously confirmed Iran is not seeking to build nuclear weapons.
In response to a question about reports from an American media outlet regarding activity in southern Natanz, he said: “There’s nothing specific. We haven’t yet cleared debris in those areas, but it’s possible that in the future, debris removal will take place and those sites will resume operations.”
Regarding efforts to prevent activation of the Dispute Resolution Mechanism (DRM) of the Joint Comprehensive plan of Action, better known as the snapback mechanism, Larijani said that Iran had proposed solutions to resolve the issue; the Europeans also had their views, adding that if they proceed with snapback, Tehran’s relationship with the IAEA will be suspended, “This is a decision passed by the Iranian Parliament.”
He also said that if they change their behavior, Iran will keep cooperating with the Agency, and there will be no problem.
Asked why Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors access to nuclear facilities, Larijani responded that Iran did not expel the inspectors. They left on their own due to fear caused by the war.
“On the other hand, you must understand that when a nuclear facility is bombed in an unprecedented way, new inspection protocols must be developed to ensure the safety of inspectors.”
He noted that Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed the drafting of such protocols during a meeting with the IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi in Cairo.
In a separate televised interview aired last night on IRIB Channel 2, Larijani referred to recent talks with European parties regarding the snapback mechanism, saying in order to eliminate excuses from the other side, Iran had accepted many of their conditions.
“But they had unreasonable demands that no rational person would accept, and we stood firm against them.”
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