Iran Leaves Nuclear Talks on Life Support by Disconnecting U.N. Surveillance Cameras

Iran’s disconnection of more than two dozen U.N. cameras monitoring its nuclear activity may deal a final blow to embattled talks in Vienna, which would increase the risk of covert and potentially even direct conflict with the United States and Israel, as well as the likelihood of Tehran acquiring nuclear weapons. On June 8, Iran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that it was dismantling the equipment for 27 video cameras that the U.N. watchdog uses to monitor Iran’s nuclear program. In response, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that if an agreement to restore the cameras was not reached in the next three to four weeks, any hope of salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal -- formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) -- would be dead. Iran’s June 8 announcement came a day after the IAEA’s 35-member Board of Governors approved a resolution criticizing Iran’s...