TEHRAN, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Iran's nuclear chief on Saturday asked the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to remain committed to its legal responsibilities and stop acquiescing to excessive demands and pressures, according to the official news agency IRNA.
Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), made the remarks while addressing a ceremony marking the National Nuclear Technology Day, noting the AEOI is making constant efforts to eliminate the influence of Iran's enemies and add professionalism to its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Eslami said Iran will hand over IAEA a framework for the national nuclear program once it's completed, adding that Iran's previous attempts had been neglected, providing the ill-wishers the opportunity to raise doubts about Iran's peaceful nuclear program through lying and psychological operations.
The AEOI chief said Iran seeks to make exponential progress in its nuclear industry.
Iran signed a nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with world powers in July 2015. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of the agreement in May 2018 and reimposed unilateral sanctions on Iran, prompting the latter to drop some of its nuclear commitments under the agreement, by increasing the number of its centrifuges and purity of enrichment.
Since April 2021, eight rounds of talks have been held in Vienna between Iran and the remaining JCPOA parties, namely China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany, to revive the deal.
Iran has called on the United States to guarantee not to drop the deal again and to lift its sanctions in a verifiable manner. ■
