Speaking at the 2023 NPT Preparatory Committee, the U.S. representative said Washington was “deeply concerned that, to date, Iran has failed to provide the cooperation required by its safeguards obligations under the [Non-Proliferation] Treaty”, emphasising: “The burden is on Iran to resolve outstanding safeguards issues”. “Iran’s decision to end implementation of its Additional Protocol is also deeply troubling”, he added. “The IAEA remains unable to provide assurances regarding the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, or that Iran has placed all nuclear material under safeguards… Iran’s production of highly enriched uranium and deployment of advanced centrifuges amplify these legitimate concerns”. The U.S. envoy further highlighted that the Biden administration “remains committed to diplomacy. It was Iran that rejected a swift return to full implementation of the JCPOA almost a year ago, demanding the closure of the IAEA’s open safeguards investigations as part of the agreement. As we’ve made clear, the power to resolve these issues is in Iran’s hands alone”.