The European Union urged Iran on Sunday to reconsider its decision to bar multiple International Atomic Energy Agency's inspectors assigned to oversee Tehran's atomic activities, noting that the bloc was “highly concerned” by the move.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Saturday that some members of their team no longer had permission to inspect Iran's nuclear arsenal.
It said Iran's “disproportionate and unprecedented” move would seriously hamper its work.
Iranian media and a Western diplomat said the decision concerned eight inspectors, all from France and Germany.
“The European Union is highly concerned by the ... decision by Iran to withdraw the official designation of several experienced IAEA inspectors to monitor and verify its nuclear programme,” the spokesman for EU foreign affairs Peter Stano said in a statement.
“Particularly worrying is the direct and severe impact of this decision on the agency's ability to conduct its verification activities, which includes the monitoring of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [JCPoA],” he added.
“The EU urges Iran to reconsider its decision without delay.”
The objective of the 2015 agreement was to restrict Iran's nuclear activities in return for alleviating international sanctions.
However, the accord was suspended due to the unilateral withdrawal by the US under president Donald Trump's administration in 2018.
