Iran defied the IAEA and announced the installation of new centrifuges as part of its nuclear program

Iran announced Thursday that it will take “proportionate” measures in response to the resolution approved by the IAEA Board of Governors against it, including the installation of new centrifuges and the shutdown of surveillance cameras.

Tehran’s announcement comes after the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted this Wednesday with a large majority of its 35 members a resolution critical of Iran for its lack of transparency in cooperation with the United Nations nuclear agency.

“Iran has taken reciprocal measures in response to the IAEA’s unconstructive attitude and resolution, such as installing advanced centrifuges and turning off cameras,” the Iranian regime said in a statement.

Tehran called the resolution put forward by the United States, Britain, France and Germany at the IAEA Board of Governors meeting “political, incorrect and unconstructive.”

Following the resolution of the International Atomic Energy Agency that criticized Tehran for its lack of transparency, the regime announced that it will respond firmly and proportionally to the measure
In addition, he affirmed that the resolution is based on “fabricated and false information from the Zionist regime”, referring to Israel, and once again insisted “in his good faith” in his interactions with the IAEA, an organization to which “he has provided technical information precise”.

“Iran currently has one of the most transparent peaceful nuclear programs among IAEA member states,” he said.

PROMPT RESPONSE

Shortly after the approval of the resolution, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Said Khatibzade, stated that the country will respond in a “firm and proportionate” manner to the vote against it.

Thus, Tehran will install new advanced IR-6 centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear plant, located in central Iran, as a first response.

In this regard, the director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, said that Iran has informed the agency of its intention to install these new centrifuges, but stated that their installation has not yet begun.

That measure joins yesterday’s decision to disconnect two IAEA surveillance cameras at a nuclear facility, announced hours before the vote of the Board of Governors.

The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Agency of Iran (AEAI), Behruz Kamalvandí, justified the turning off of the cameras by considering that the IAEA has not appreciated the “good will” of Tehran in its collaboration with the UN bodywhom he accuses of “having a political agenda.”

At the same time, the AEAI assured that 80% of the IAEA cameras in its nuclear facilities will continue to function.

The clash between Tehran and the IAEA and the Western countries of the Board revolves around the origin of fissile traces found in three places not declared as nuclear in the Islamic Republic.

Tehran assures that the traces, whose origin the IAEA wants to know, are due to sabotage -supposedly by Israel-, an explanation that Grossi himself described this week as “technically not credible”.

The explanation also does not convince the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, which have expressed their “deep concern” about the situation and called on Iran to act urgently “to fulfill its legal obligations” with the IAEA.

That concern seems to extend to other countries, given the results of the vote in the Board of Governors: 30 of the 35 countries on the Board voted in favor of the resolution and only China and Russia voted against it.

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