Mr Chairperson,

Since my last statement to the Board of Governors, the IAEA’s teams and I have worked without interruption, night and day, on two major issues high on the international community’s agenda. First, the safety and security of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants amid the encroaching military conflict, and second, making progress on the clarification of the outstanding safeguards issues with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

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Let me now turn to the clarification and resolution of safeguards issues with the Islamic Republic of Iran. I am pleased to inform you that during my visit to Tehran on Saturday and after constructive talks, Vice-President of Iran and Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami, and I were able to agree a series of actions that will be guiding our work. There is a lot of work ahead of us and we have already started. I will come back to this in more detail later in my statement.

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Mr Chairperson,

My report on Verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council resolution 2231 covers relevant activities of the Agency in the past few months. Up to 23 February 2021, the Agency verified and monitored the implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA. However, since that date, these activities have been seriously affected by Iran’s decision to stop the implementation of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA, including the Additional Protocol.

Following constructive consultations with Vice-President Eslami on 15 December 2021, new terms were agreed in relation to the Agency’s monitoring and surveillance equipment under the JCPOA. This enabled the Agency to reinstall cameras in the workshop at Karaj and to replace all storage media in JCPOA-related cameras throughout Iran. However, the repeated prolongation of the agreement I reached with Iran in February last year, which has now been in place for over one year, will pose a significant challenge to the Agency’s ability to restore continuity of knowledge, which has been widely recognised as essential in relation to a return to the JCPOA.

You have received my report entitled NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran. This describes the Agency’s efforts since my last report in clarifying questions related to the correctness and completeness of Iran’s declarations under its Safeguards Agreement and Additional Protocol.

As you will see, the Joint Statement agreed with Iran on Saturday sets out a series of steps to be conducted over the coming few months.

The Agency looks forward to receiving from Iran by 20 March written explanations, including related supporting documents, to the questions raised by the Agency and not yet been addressed by Iran, on the issues related to three particular locations.

There is a lot of work lying ahead of us. We are ready.

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