Iran will not heed a call to cooperate more fully with UN nuclear inspectors until a standoff over the future of its agreement with major powers is resolved, its envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Reza Najafi said.
While it was not benefiting from the deal, "no one should expect Iran to go to implement more voluntary measures," he added.
"We gave a few weeks to our European counterparts," he told reporters outside a quarterly meeting of the agency's Board of Governors, Reuters reported.
"A few weeks means a few weeks, not a few months," he added.
According to Reuters, Tehran is implementing its commitments, but was called for "timely and proactive cooperation" on providing access for snap inspections.
IAEA chief Yukiya Amano has said the comment is "not an expression of concern or complaints but rather an encouragement to Iran". Diplomats who deal with the agency, however, say it follows an inspection in late April that went down to the wire in terms of how quickly the IAEA team gained access to one site.
Najafi declined to say exactly how much longer talks between the Europeans and Iran on salvaging the deal would last.
Iran’s nuclear chief on Wednesday inaugurated work on a facility in Natanz plant in central Iran .
"But I should emphasize that it does not mean that right now Iran will restart any activities contrary to the JCPOA," Najafi said.
