2015 Nuclear Deal Restoration: Iran Asks IAEA To Stop Three Unannounced Uranium Trace Discovery Sites

JAKARTA - The United Nations nuclear watchdog should stop its issues regarding three undeclared sites, Iran's foreign minister said, amid efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal.

The United States insists Tehran should work closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), to allay suspicions about previous work at the three unannounced locations.

The IAEA board of governors adopted a resolution in June condemning Iran for failing to adequately account for the discovery of traces of enriched uranium at three sites, which Tehran has not announced as sites of nuclear activity.

"We are very serious about the issue of protection and do not want to let some of the IAEA's baseless accusations remain," Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told state news agency Irna.

This issue has poisoned relations between the IAEA and Iran, which considers the issue "political in nature, and which should not be used as a pretext to punish Iran", an Iranian diplomat told Irna.

The comments came a day after the US responded to a proposal to revive the 2015 nuclear deal, which the US abandoned under Donald Trump.

"We are in the process of examining the American response," Amirabdollahian said.

The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers - Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the US - provided sanctions relief for Tehran in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program.

The deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, which it has always denied wanting to do.