The lack of progress in clarifying questions concerning the correctness and completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations is seriously affecting the ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to provide assurance of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme.

IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi said in a statement to the agency’s board of governors on 13 September that Iran has still not provided the necessary explanations for the presence of nuclear material particles at any of three locations where the agency has had access. Nor has Iran answered the agency’s questions with regard to another undeclared location or clarified the current location of natural uranium in the form of a metal disc.

He announced, however, that following a meeting in Tehran on 12 September with Mohammad Eslami, vice-president and head of Atomic Energy Organisation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (AEOI), Iran has agreed to let the agency service monitoring cameras and replace storage media at Iranian nuclear sites.