Iran No Longer Wants to Cooperate on Nuclear Issues

TEHRAN, SUNDAY - Iran is angry over a series of attacks by Israel using weapons made in the United States. Iran is also unwilling to negotiate its nuclear program any further. Oversight of Iran's nuclear facilities has also been restricted.

Iran and the United States were scheduled to meet in Oman on Sunday (15/5/2025). However, Oman's Foreign Minister, Badr Albusaidi, confirmed that the negotiations have been canceled.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also informed French President Emmanuel Macron about the cancellation. Iran, according to Pezeshkian, will not engage in any negotiations regarding nuclear matters as long as Israel continues to attack.

He emphasized that Iran is striving to optimize diplomacy. "However, Iran will not accept unreasonable demands under pressure or sit at the negotiating table while the Zionist regime continues its attacks," he said.

Macron called Pezeshkian after reports emerged that Iran was threatening supporters of Israel. Iran was said to be preparing to attack countries that assist Israel in repelling Iranian assaults. So far, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Jordan have been actively intercepting Iranian missiles and drones aimed at Israel.

The US also supplies various weapons used by Israel to attack Iran. Washington DC sent 300 Hellfire missiles to Tel Aviv the day after Israel announced it would attack Iran.

The United States also assisted in modifying the F-35 Adir operated by Israel to enable it to fly further. The fighter jets and missiles are used by Israel to attack Iran.

Not only did Iran ensure the cancellation of the negotiation round in Oman, but it also decided to restrict access for monitoring its nuclear facilities. Iran no longer wants the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) monitors to oversee its nuclear facilities. "It is unreasonable for those places to be attacked while the agency remains silent," said Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi.

Iran will stop informing the IAEA about the locations and protection policies of its new nuclear facilities. "Iran will no longer cooperate with the agency," he stated.

He has been angry with the IAEA since the agency announced its latest report on Iran's nuclear program. The latest IAEA report released this week concluded that Iran possesses 408.6 kilograms of uranium with an enrichment level of 60 percent.

The IAEA also stated that Iran could produce enriched uranium hexafluoride in a short period. According to the agency, Iran will soon reach a 90 percent enrichment level. This level is necessary for the production of nuclear bombs.

As a result of the report, 19 out of 35 members of the IAEA Board of Governors issued a resolution condemning Iran. Tehran is accused of violating obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The United States, along with Germany and France, drafted the resolution.

The trio also simultaneously signed the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement, known as the JCPOA. In a previous report, the IAEA stated that Iran was fulfilling its obligations under the JCPOA. However, sanctions against Iran have yet to be lifted by the US and Europe.

In fact, in 2018, Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA and subsequently imposed various sanctions on Iran. It has recently been revealed that Trump's decision was partly due to pressure and persuasion from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Since being re-elected, Trump has attempted to renegotiate the Iran nuclear program. In the lead-up to the sixth round of negotiations, Iran was attacked by Israel using American weapons. Several officials from the United States and Israel stated that all stages of the attack plan were coordinated by Israel with the United States.

The targets of the attacks included Iran's nuclear facilities. To Iranian officials and citizens, the US-Israel coordination was to deceive Iran.

Previously, Gharibabadi questioned the IAEA's motives, citing an IAEA report that said the agency had deployed 274 inspectors to Iran, with 120 staying long-term.

According to the IAEA report, 21 out of 100 locations examined by the agency are in Iran. The remaining locations are in various other countries. Meanwhile, out of 682 inspections, 493 were conducted in Iran.

The IAEA also conducted 224 follow-up verifications of nuclear program reports from various countries. Of all the verifications, 144 were carried out in Iran. The IAEA deployed 1,260 of its 1,895 inspectors to Iran.

The IAEA also spent 22.6 million euros of its budget on various activities related to Iran. The total regular budget of the IAEA for 2024 amounts to 38.9 million euros. The IAEA continues to allocate 4.3 million euros from its additional budget for activities related to Iran. The total additional budget is valued at 28 million euros.

"What is demonstrated by the numerous activities of the Agency in Iran, if not Iran's constructive and comprehensive cooperation with the IAEA?" said Gharibabadi.

He also reminded that, based on the extraordinary resources and activities in Iran, the IAEA concluded that Iran's nuclear program remains for peaceful purposes. Nevertheless, hidden political motives led the IAEA to issue a report that cornered Iran.

Not only directed at the institution, accusations were also aimed at IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi. Prior to the Israeli attack, several parties in Iran released documents purportedly resulting from a computer hack in Israel.

Documents from 2015-2016 show intensive communication between Grossi and several parties in Israel. The essence of this communication builds the perception that Iran is developing a dangerous nuclear program.

Several parties in Iran have stated that the IAEA shared confidential communications between Iran and the IAEA with Israel. This communication includes data on the locations and nuclear program of Iran. (AP/AFP)