Joe Biden’s Forever Diplomacy Tehran violates another international deal for nuclear inspections.
That was quick. Two weeks ago Iranian officials reached a deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that allowed limited entry to nuclear sites, and, wouldn’t you know, Tehran hasn’t held up its end of the bargain.
“Iran’s decision not to allow agency access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop is contrary to the agreed terms of the joint statement issued on 12 September,” the United Nations nuclear watchdog said in a Sunday statement. It was clear at the time that the agreement wasn’t really an achievement, as it merely allowed international inspectors to service surveillance equipment without accessing data. But this makes Iran’s refusal even more embarrassing.
“Any decision taken by Iran on monitoring equipment is only based on political rather than legal considerations and the Agency cannot and should not consider it as one of its entitlements,” an Iranian official tweeted. He claimed that the site—which was sabotaged in June, likely by Israel—was never part of the agreement. Yet the IAEA has said otherwise since the deal was reached. This saga follows news this month that Iranian guards harassed female nuclear inspectors on multiple occasions this year.
Iran’s initial agreement was meant to avert a censure during the IAEA Board of Governors meeting this month, and Tehran achieved its goal. No one should be surprised that its shenanigans continued after avoiding punishment. “We call on Iran to provide the IAEA with needed access without further delay,” the U.S. said in a statement Monday. “If Iran fails to do so, we will be closely consulting with other board members in the coming days on an appropriate response.”
We argued two weeks ago that a rebuke would send an important message, even after Iran’s temporary and limited cooperation. Any nuclear agreement is pointless without a legitimate inspections regime, and an IAEA censure could in theory prompt U.N. sanctions. Supporters of appeasing the Islamic Republic argue that criticizing or pressuring Tehran isn’t productive and could derail nuclear talks. But blame for ending negotiations will lay with Iran for not cooperating with the IAEA—not the West for calling out bad behavior.
Iran’s new President Ebrahim Raisi hassaid repeatedly that he wants to resume talks on the 2015 nuclear deal. Yet he hasn’t set a date to resume talks, announced who will be negotiating, or laid out detailed goals beyond having sanctions lifted. Iran’s deputy foreign minister was recently replaced with a vocal critic of the nuclear accord. This isn’t how a regime that takes diplomacy seriously acts.
Meantime, Iran is moving closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Theoretically the regime can turn off advanced centrifuges and give up its stockpile of enriched uranium. But the knowledge it has gained about running these centrifuges or producing enriched uranium metal can’t be undone. Rather than begging for talks, the Biden Administration should begin planning for what to do if Iran walks.
The political appeal of pretending to end “forever wars” is obvious, and perhaps “forever diplomacy” polls well too. But so far the White House, which says it wants to focus on the Indo-Pacific, is creating the conditions for an Iranian nuclear breakthrough and Mideast crisis.
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