US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the lack of an interim agreement between the UN nuclear watchdog and Iran on the monitoring of nuclear activities is a matter of “grave concern” to Tehran.

According to the British news agency Reuters, the interim surveillance agreement was for three months, on which progress was stopped on February 21, then on May 24, it was extended for one month.

Regarding the agreement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it expired on Thursday. Another expansion is being discussed with Iran.

Speaking to the media with his French counterpart in Paris on Friday, the US Secretary of State said: “This is a matter of great concern. This concern has been expressed to Iran and needs to be addressed.

On the other hand, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s ambassador to the UN nuclear watchdog, said that “Iran does not need to comply with the request of the head of the IAEA.”

“We still have a lot of differences with Iran,” said US Secretary of State Anthony Blanken. But he hopes a resumption of talks in the coming days can resolve them.
Antony Blinken said the talks would not continue indefinitely.

“The first priority is to restore the nuclear deal, but if there is an agreement on the monitoring of Iran’s territory and missile activities, the United States and its allies have more to offer,” he said.

On the occasion, the French Foreign Minister said that the ball is now in the court of Iran’s decision-makers and negotiations have entered a difficult phase.

“We are waiting for the Iranian authorities to make final and difficult decisions to restore the 2015 nuclear deal,” he said.

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