Iran: IAEA Monitoring Deal Will Be Extended Only After It Expires

Deal expires on Thursday

The existing Iran-IAEA monitoring deal is scheduled to expire Thursday, and indications are that Iran will negotiate the extension only after  the expiry. The Iran Supreme National Security Council will then decide what to do.

The monitoring deal first came into effect in mid-February, after Iran’s parliament ordered the end to certain voluntary access given to the IAEA. This was meant to protest Israel assassinating a top scientist.

That three month deal expired on May 24, and was extended an additional 30 days, to Thursday. Officials didn’t feel it was appropriate to go beyond that, since Iran had an election and a new government incoming.

The IAEA has complained about lack of surveillance footage since February, which is actually something that was very clearly marked in the deal as a measure of voluntary access being temporarily stopped. The footage is still being collected, but Iran will only pass the access on if disputes are resolved.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.