IAEA: Danish Statement on Safeguard Agreement with Islamic Republic of Iran

IAEA Board of Governors

Vienna, 9 – 13 September 2024

Agenda item 8c: NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran

Statement by Denmark

1. Denmark fully aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union.

Chair,

2. Once again we have before us a report which shows a complete lack of progress in resolving safeguards issues. This absence is due to Iran’s failure to provide the necessary cooperation and technically credible information and therefore its failure to act according to its safeguards obligations.

3. Some of the outstanding issues were first identified as far back as 2019. In the meantime, this Board has adopted four resolutions and has called for urgent action by Iran to fulfil its legal obligations and to clarify and resolve all outstanding safeguards issues.

4. Disappointingly, the situation remains unchanged. A country with a highly developed and advancing nuclear programme, producing and stockpiling vast amounts of enriched uranium for very unclear purposes, in which the IAEA is unable to provide assurance that the nuclear activities are exclusively peaceful. This is not for lack of trying on the part of the Agency and the Director General, whose steadfast efforts and professional work we strongly support.

5. We are also concerned by the persistence of a discrepancy in Iran’s nuclear material balance, noting that that the amount of nuclear material unaccounted for is greater than previously believed. We fully support the Agency’s efforts to clarify this matter.

6. In addition, Iran still refuses to implement the modified Code 3.1., contrary to its legal obligations.

Chair

7. This situation risks undermining confidence in the safeguards system and, by implication, in the NPT. This cannot be in any of our interests. We urge Iran to comply with its legal obligations and with the Board’s resolutions by engaging fully and transparently with the IAEA without further delay.

8. We join the Director General in expressing hope for a constructive dialogue that swiftly leads to concrete results. This is essential and urgent in order to allow the Agency to confirm the correctness and completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations. We look forward to continued reporting, including as set out in the Board’s resolution adopted in June.

Thank you Chair