The IAEA calls on Iran to provide information on uranium traces at sites to the United Nations News

The leaders of the UN nuclear guard come as Tehran and world powers try to restore the 2015 agreement.

Iran has not answered questions about finding uranium particles in former undeclared areas of the country, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said, asking Tehran to provide information “without further delay.”

Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been pushing Iran’s responses at the three sites for many years, when inspections revealed man-made uranium remains, suggesting they were once linked to Iran’s nuclear program.

The issue is separate from the ongoing negotiations aimed at returning the United States to its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

In April, the IAEA launched a new process of “technical discussions” with Iran in an effort to break the “impasse” of the sites.

But a report released last week made it clear that the IAEA inquiries were not resolved.

“I am very concerned that there has been nuclear material in three undeclared locations in Iran and the current locations of that nuclear material that the agency does not know about,” Grossi said.

Grossi said on Monday that his “expectations were not being met” and that there had been “no specific progress” on the issue, despite Iranian authorities expressing a willingness to cooperate. “The discussion should have consequences,” he said.

Grossi also said it was “increasingly difficult” to extend a temporary inspection agreement with Iran as Tehran and world powers try to restore a nuclear deal.

In February, Tehran suspended some IAEA inspections, and the agency reached a three-month temporary agreement despite continued reduced levels of access to continue its activities.

“I see this space shrinking,” Grossi said.

At the end of May, the provisional schedule was extended until June 24, with Grossi saying the rest of the time was “very short”.

Referring to negotiations to revive the 2015 agreement between the world powers and Tehran in central Vienna on Iran’s 2015 nuclear program, Grossi said he hoped “with a more general agreement working in the center or by other means” to visit us … inspection powers were further reduced.

“We cannot continue to limit and reduce the ability of inspectors to inspect, and at the same time we can say that there is confidence,” he said.

Diplomats are expected to end talks to revive the 2015 deal ahead of Iran’s June 18 presidential election.

The deal has been unraveling since former US President Donald Trump stepped down in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions on Iran.

In retaliation, Iran has set aside the restrictions set out in the agreement on its nuclear activities.

Grossi reiterated on Monday that the situation in Iran was “serious.”

“We have a country that has a very developed program and an ambitious nuclear program that enriches it at very high levels … very close to the level of weapons,” he said.