Sweden Concerned Over Less IAEA Nuclear Monitoring Of Iran

Sweden has expressed concerns about the reduction of monitoring by the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Iran's nuclear activities.

In a Monday statement at the United Nations’ 10th conference to review the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in New York, Sweden said, “The situation with regard to Iran’s safeguards agreement remains a matter of grave concern. Iran is pursuing highly proliferation-sensitive activities with no credible civilian use, and IAEA verification is circumscribed since Iran stopped implementing the Additional Protocol last year.”

Referring to the latest report by the IAEA director general, the statement said there are signs of nuclear material and related equipment having been shipped off to locations unknown and the agency is no longer able to verify the correctness and completeness of Iran’s nuclear material reporting, unless Iran engages seriously in helping the agency determine the fate of such material and equipment.

Urging Iran to provide the IAEA with all the information it requires, and to implement the resolution adopted by the IAEA Board of Governors in June, it added that the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is urgently needed in order to strengthen the NPT as well as international peace and security.

“Sweden is deeply concerned about Iran’s continuing contravention of the JCPOA and the proliferation consequences they bring,” it said calling for an immediate reapplication of the Additional Protocol as well as the voluntary verification measures foreseen in the JCPOA and commends the IAEA’s crucial verification work in Iran.