Iran will block UN surveillance at nuclear sites

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, said Thursday that Iran has started taking down 27 cameras that allow UN observers to track the country’s uranium enrichment activities. Iranian leaders claim 40 cameras will remain active. The country’s stockpiled uranium could be used to make either reactor fuel or nuclear weapons, the IAEA’s director warned. Tehran could be just weeks away from developing enough weapons-grade enriched uranium to create a bomb.

Why isn’t Iran cooperating with the UN? On Wednesday, the IAEA censured Tehran for not providing information about man-made nuclear material found at three undeclared sites in the country. In 2015, Iran had agreed to limit nuclear activity and allow the IAEA to monitor its nuclear facilities in return for economic sanctions relief. But the United States, an IAEA member, pulled out of the agreement and reinstated sanctions four years ago. The United States now wants to rejoin the deal, but talks have been stalled since March. Iranian leaders had threatened retaliation if a nuclear deal was not reached. They have been withholding camera footage since 2021 to add pressure to negotiations.

Dig deeper: Listen to Cal Thomas’ report on The World and Everything in It podcast on whether Iran can be trusted to keep its nuclear promises.