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Grossi confirms IAEA inspectors return to Iran
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday that the agency’s inspectors have returned to Iran to resume work at some Iranian nuclear sites.
Grossi said the inspectors have carried out inspections and design information verifications at many of the facilities unaffected by June’s strikes by Israel and the United States.
“But more engagement is needed to restore full inspections, including at the affected sites, so that Iran fulfils its obligations under its NPT Agreement. I am in regular contact with Tehran and urge Iran to facilitate Agency access at its affected facilities and especially of its inventories of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) and High Enriched Uranium (HEU), whose status needs urgently to be addressed,” he said.
His remarks came as Europe's top three powers and the US have launched a new campaign against Iran at the UN atomic agency.
The US, Britain, France and Germany have submitted a draft resolution to this week's meeting of the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors demanding answers and access from Iran over its bombed nuclear sites and enriched uranium stock.
The draft, which is expected to be voted on by the board, stresses that it is "imperative" for Iran to comply with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
It follows an IAEA report on Iran sent to member states last week.
The report claimed that Tehran has still not let inspectors into the nuclear sites Israel and the US bombed in June and that accounting for the uranium stock is “long overdue.”
Iran’s warning
Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi on Sunday warned the European powers that if they get through their draft resolution, Iran would make a “fundamental revision” in its interactions with the agency and issues related to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
Tensions between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog have repeatedly flared in recent years, with relations being further strained in the wake of a 12-day aggression in June that saw Israeli and US strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities.
Iran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA after the 12-day aggression against Iran as per a law adopted by Parliament.
Tensions escalated as Iranian officials said the IAEA effectively provided cover for the strikes by declaring the country in violation of its non‑proliferation obligations shortly before the bombardment and then failing to condemn the aggression.
Iran emphasizes that the basis of cooperation with the IAEA is the law passed by the Parliament and the requirements of the Safeguards Agreement. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has reiterated that Tehran remains a member of the NPT and the interaction with the agency will proceed solely within the legal framework of the safeguards and with the guidance of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.