Thursday, the UN's atomic energy watchdog warned that Iran's removal of 27 surveillance cameras from its nuclear facilities might be a "fatal blow" to efforts to restore a 2015 nuclear agreement.

After then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the landmark agreement in 2018 and left it hanging by a thread, negotiations to get the United States back into the accord began in April of 2018.

In addition, the negotiations aim to lift sanctions against Iran and bring it back into line with the nuclear commitments it made to international powers as part of the deal.

Since March, however, the delicate communication has stopped. On Wednesday, members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) voted for a resolution condemning Iran for its lack of cooperation with the watchdog.

Iran denounced the criticism as "unconstructive" and revealed on Wednesday that it had deactivated IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear plants.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi stated Thursday that his organization had been informed that 27 cameras would be removed, leaving approximately 40 in situ.

"So this of course poses a serious challenge to our ability to continue working there," Grossi told reporters, pushing Iran to "immediately" communicate with him.

He stated that if a solution is not found within three to four weeks, discussions will have been dealt "a fatal blow."

"Increasing isolation"

The proposal accepted by 30 of the 35 IAEA board of governors members, with only Russia and China voting against it, was the first criticism of Iran since June 2020.

The resolution was tabled by the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany after the IAEA stated that Iran had failed to sufficiently explain the initial discovery of traces of enriched uranium at three locations that Tehran had not disclosed as hosting nuclear operations.

Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken cautioned that Iran's actions would damage efforts to repair the 2015 agreement.

Blinken stated in a statement, "The only outcome of such a path will be a deepening nuclear crisis and further economic and political isolation for Iran,"

In a joint statement, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany urged Iran to "cease its nuclear escalation, and urgently conclude the deal currently on the table… while it is still possible."

The ultraconservative President of Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, who was elected last year, stated that the Islamic Republic would not be intimidated.

Thursday, he was cited by the state-run news agency IRNA as declaring, "We won't back down, not even a step from our position,"

Iran has constantly rejected any desire to acquire nuclear weaponry.

It had already reacted fiercely to Grossi's decision to visit its archenemy Israel before the board of governors meeting.

It has also charged that the UN watchdog relies excessively on "fabricated" Israeli intelligence reports.

On Thursday, a fellow Iran critic, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, welcomed Iran's rebuke before his secret visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Tel Aviv maintains its undisclosed nuclear weapons development, notwithstanding its position in the Iran atomic crisis.

"Added stress"

Analyst Eric Brewer of the non-profit Nuclear Threat Initiative told AFP that Iran's removal of the cameras "will certainly put added pressure" on the discussions to resurrect the 2015 accord "to force a decision one way or the other"

The historic agreement limited Iran's nuclear activities in exchange for the removal of international sanctions.

Since Trump abruptly withdrew and reimposed punishing penalties, though, it has been in turmoil.

In reaction, Iran began to withdraw from its obligations under the agreement.

Since the United States reinstated sanctions, Western capitals have expressed growing worry over Iran's progress in resuming its nuclear program.

Iran has amassed vast quantities of enriched uranium, some of which are significantly more enriched than required for nuclear power generation.

Iran has installed additional sophisticated centrifuges for uranium enrichment, the Iranian foreign ministry announced on Wednesday, disabling the cameras in response to the IAEA censure motion.

If Iran continues to advance its nuclear program, the head of the IAEA stated on Monday that it would be "a matter of just a few weeks" before it could have sufficient material for a nuclear bomb.

On Thursday, several individuals in a Tehran retail district stated that they wished their nation was more cooperative with the IAEA.

Ebrahim Ahmadpour, a 60-year-old private sector employee, told AFP, "We call on the authorities to cooperate more so that the problems do not get worse,"