Iran says no renewal decision yet on IAEA monitoring deal

Quantum Commodity Intelligence - Iran said it has yet to decide whether to extend a monitoring deal with the UN nuclear watchdog which lapsed last week, the English-language Iran International reported Monday.

"No decision has been made yet, either negative or positive, about extending the monitoring deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told a televised weekly news conference.

Washington has warned that Tehran's failure to renew it would complicate talks to revive the 2015 nuclear accord.

In February, Iran halted an agreement with the IAEA in February that allowed additional inspections of Iranian nuclear sites. Some inspections were extended under temporary deals, but those expired last Thursday.

Iran said last week that the Supreme National Security Council would decide whether to renew the temporary agreements, under which data and footage were still collected in some places where inspections stopped.

Reporting on the same story, World Nuclear News said Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on Sunday that his country will not provide the IAEA with a video recording of its nuclear activities. 

After the three-month period expired, "nothing has been renewed and after that none of the items recorded in Iran will ever be given to the Agency and are in the possession of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Qalibaf said.

Middle East oil prices have rallied to 26-month highs in June, in part supported to by delays to reach a deal with Iran.

Benchmark Dubai cash for August delivery was assessed at $73.85/b on June 28, up $0.40/b from pre-weekend levels, while DME Oman futures for August settled $73.72/b at the Asia close, up $0.32/b.