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The
International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran announced in
February that although Tehran would reduce cooperation with the
IAEA including by ending snap inspections, they had struck a
deal on continuing "necessary" IAEA monitoring and verification
activities in Iran.
The arrangement is important to keeping indirect talks between
Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal on
track. Senior diplomats from France, Britain and Germany warned
on Wednesday that finding a solution is critical.
"(IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and
Vice-President of Iran and Head of the Atomic Energy
Organization of Iran, Ali Akbar Salehi, on 21 February agreed on
a temporary bilateral technical understanding (for up to 3
months) that remains in effect," the IAEA said in a statement.
"The Agency and Iran are currently in consultations regarding
the implementation of the existing understanding. The Director
General will provide an update to the (IAEA) Board of Governors
in the coming days," it added.
The IAEA has described a black-box-type system in which data is
collected without the IAEA being able to access it immediately.
Diplomats say it includes real-time monitoring of Iran's
uranium-enrichment levels and that the equipment might simply
keep running for a time in the absence of an extension.
(Reporting by Francois Murphy;Editing by Alison Williams,
William Maclean)
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