Iran demands IAEA withdraw accusations before reactivating surveillance cameras

TEHRAN, Aug. 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's top nuclear official said on Thursday the Iran will reactivate the surveillance cameras of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at its nuclear sites only if the IAEA withdraws its accusations against Tehran.

Mohammad Eslami, president of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was also quoted by the official news agency IRNA as saying that Iran seeks to achieve a "good agreement" at the Vienna talks that would safeguard its people's interests.

In June, the IAEA Board of Governors passed an anti-Iran resolution proposed by the U.S., Britain, France and Germany following the agency's reports that Tehran had not provided "technically credible explanations" for uranium particles found at three undeclared sites.

After the adoption of the IAEA resolution, Iran announced a number of counter measures, including turning off the IAEA's surveillance cameras at its nuclear sites.

Speaking of the ongoing talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 deal, Eslami expressed the hope for the U.S. side to show goodwill and willingness to reach an agreement, and refrain from breaking its promises.

Iran signed a nuclear deal with world powers in July 2015, agreeing to curb its nuclear program in return for the removal of sanctions on the country. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Tehran, prompting the latter to drop some of its commitments under the pact.

The talks on reviving the nuclear pact began in April 2021 in the Austrian capital of Vienna but were suspended in March this year because of the political differences between Tehran and Washington.

After almost five months, delegations from the remaining signatories to the JCPOA, as well as the United States, are currently in Vienna for a fresh round of talks on the revival of the agreement.