On September 12, 2021, Iran agreed to allow nuclear surveillance by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

• Iran has allowed the international inspectors to install new memory cards into surveillance cameras across its sensitive nuclear sites and to continue filming there,
• This announcement was made by Mohammad Eslami of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.
• Currently, Tehran holds all recordings at its sites in the backdrop of negotiations over the U.S. and Iran returning to the 2015 nuclear deal got stalled in Vienna.
• Iran is now enriching small amounts of uranium to its closest levels to weapons-grade purity because its stockpile continues to increase.

Iran and IAEA had agreed over temporary measures to offset decision of Iran to restrict access to inspectors. Iran’s Parliament passed a lew in 2020 and demanded the suspension of some inspections in case USA failed to lift sanctions. Under the deal, Iran will stop the implementation of voluntary measures in accordance with 2015 nuclear deal. However, it will continue to implement its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA.

Under this agreement, IAEA has the right & obligation to ensure that safeguards are applied on all nuclear material in the territory or jurisdiction or control of the State. Under it, no access will be given to IAEA beyond safeguards of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran would also deny the IAEA real-time access to footage from surveillance cameras.

This deal was agreed between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers namely USA, UK, China, France, Russia, and Germany in 2015. It was named as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under this deal, Iran had agreed to curb its nuclear activity in return of lifting of sanctions and access to global trade.