After the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief's recent trip to Iran, the two sides agreed to hold off on some of the harsh measures Iran had planned to adopt in response to the US withdrawal of the 2015 nuclear deal. Iran’s hard-liners, who had passed a bill that would reduce Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, have cried foul.
Rafael Grossi’s announcement in Vienna after his trip to Iran has relieved many observers who closely monitor the nuclear crisis with Iran. A December 2020 bill called the Strategic Action to Remove Sanctions called on Iran to suspend their voluntary implementation of Additional Protocols of the nonproliferation treaty on Feb. 23. Iran had agreed to the Additional Protocols, which gave the IAEA broader access to Iran’s nuclear program, in 2003. The understanding between the IAEA and Iran, which was discussed with the Hassan Rouhani administration, has given the two sides a three-month window.
