Iran has informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, the world's nuclear watchdog, about its plan to end sweeping inspection powers given to the agency under the 2015 nuclear deal, its envoy to the agency wrote on Twitter on Monday.
"Act of Parliament will be executed on time and the IAEA has been informed today to ensure the smooth transition to a new course in due time. After all, goodwill brings about goodwill!," Kazem Gharibabadi said on his Twitter account.
A law passed by Iran's hardline-dominated parliament last year obliges the government to end the snap inspections of the IAEA on Feb. 21 and limit its inspections to declared nuclear sites only.
Earlier on Monday it warned that it would block snap inspections from next week if other parties to the 2015 nuclear deal do not fulfill their obligations, a challenge to US President Joe Biden's hope of reviving the accord.
"If others do not fulfill their obligations by Feb. 21, the government is obliged to suspend the voluntary implementation of the Additional Protocol," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said.
"It does not mean ending all inspections by the nuclear watchdog ... All these steps are reversible if the other party changes its path and honors its obligations," he said, alluding to the United States.
The Biden administration aims to return the United States to the nuclear deal, which his predecessor Donald Trump abandoned in 2018. Under the deal, Iran agreed to curbs on its uranium enrichment program in return for the lifting of sanctions.
After Trump quit and reimposed sanctions, Iran began violating some limits in the deal. Washington and Tehran now disagree over how best to restore the accord, with both sides demanding the other side act first to return to compliance.
Despite Iran's public hard line that Washington must take the first step, several Iranian officials told Reuters last week that the mounting economic pain of US sanctions may push Tehran to be flexible on terms for restoring the nuclear deal.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said last week Doha was in consultations to help salvage the deal, and Iranian state media said he would meet Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif in Tehran on Monday.
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"We welcome efforts by friendly countries like Qatar ... There have been consultations between Tehran and Doha at various levels," Khatibzadeh said.
The nuclear deal granted wide-ranging access to the IAEA to gather information on Iran's nuclear activities. But under a law enacted last year, Iran's government is obliged to revoke that access on Feb. 21 if other parties are not complying with the nuclear deal.
Iran has long denied striving to develop nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment, though its intelligence minister said last week persistent Western pressure could push Tehran to fight back like a "cornered cat" and seek nuclear weapons.
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