UN watchdog says it hasn’t accessed Iran’s nuclear program data since February

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Monday that it has not been able to access data needed to monitor Iran’s nuclear program since late February.

In documents obtained by The Associated Press, the IAEA disclosed that it has “not had access to the data from its online enrichment monitors and electronic seals, or had access to the measurement recordings registered by its installed measurement devices” since Feb. 23.

According to the IAEA, these restrictions have made it impossible for the organization to estimate Iran’s nuclear stockpile.

The AP notes that both Iran and the IAEA had acknowledged that restrictions limited access to surveillance cameras. However, the documents from the IAEA indicate that these restrictions went further than previously believed.

Iran has limited inspections in order to place pressure on President Biden to lift sanctions imposed by former President Trump that have crippled its economy.

Talks are still ongoing in Vienna to have Iran rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the U.S. engaging indirectly through European allies.

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers urged Biden in May to rejoin the JCPOA and to lift Trump’s “bad-faith” sanctions.

“Lifting Trump’s bad-faith sanctions — which he explicitly imposed on Iran in order to make a return to the JCPOA next-to-impossible — should not be treated as a concession to Iran, but rather as an effort to restore U.S. credibility and enhance American security,” 53 Democratic Party letters wrote in a letter to Biden that was obtained by The Hill.

Earlier in May, high-ranking Iranian politicians had threatened to end the IAEA’s access to security cameras. However, Iran and the IAEA reached an agreement shortly after to extend access to the security cameras for another month.