Tehran: Iran said on Monday that it will allow U.N surveillance cameras to continue monitoring its nuclear sites, but no access to the recordings will be granted.
"For now, as a sign of goodwill, Iran will allow the (IAEA) surveillance cameras to continue recording, but there is no access (to the recordings)," said Saeed Khatibzadeh, a spokesman for the country's foreign ministry.
According to Khatibzadeh, the recordings will be sealed and kept in Iran.
On Sunday, Iran agreed to allow international inspectors to install new memory cards into surveillance cameras at its sensitive nuclear sites and to continue filming there, potentially averting a diplomatic showdown this week.
The announcement by Mohammad Eslami of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran followed a meeting he held in Tehran with the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi.
"I am glad to say that today we're able to have a very constructive result, which has to do with the continuity of the operation of the agency’s equipment here," Grossi said. It "is indispensable for us to provide the necessary guarantee and information to the IAEA and to the world that everything is in order."
However, Iran's precondition to deny IAEA access to the recordings leaves the watchdog in the same position it has faced since February.