Can’t guarantee security of nuclear watchdog inspectors: Iran after US strikes
The security of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors cannot be guaranteed, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. The development came days after the UN nuclear watchdog’s request to visit the nuclear sites hit by Israel and the US in Iran was rejected.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is UN’s nuclear watchdog. (File/Bloomberg)
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei has said that the “usual” cooperation with the nuclear watchdog cannot continue, reported news agency Reuters.
Rafael Grossi, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, had said that Iran could restart uranium enrichment within months, as the US strikes did not completely cripple Iran’s nuclear establishment.
Ties between Iran and IAEA have soured since the beginning of the Iran-Israel conflict on June 13. Tehran had slammed the UN nuclear watchdog for its “failure” to condemn the Israeli and American attacks on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
Grossi’s request to visit the nuclear sites hit by the Israeli and US strikes was also turned down by Iran, alleging that the demand reflected “malign intent”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had alleged that Grossi “directly facilitated… the unlawful Israeli and US bombings” by “obfuscating” Iran’s efforts to address the agency’s concerns.
“Grossi’s insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,” Araghchi had said.
Meanwhile, the nuclear watchdog is holding a meeting of the agency’s Board of Governors to discuss the strikes on Iran’s facilities.
US, Israel’s strikes on nuclear sites
The Israel-Iran conflict began on June 13, which the Israeli military’s striking key nuclear sites, and killing several of its top military leaders, including the chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami.
After the conflict began, US President Donald Trump first said it would take additional time to decide if the American military would step in. However, in a surprise move, the US military struck three key nuclear sites – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan, in Iran.
On June 23, Trump announced that a ceasefire has been agreed upon between Israel and Iran.
