IAEA calls on Tehran to put relations back on track
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said Friday that Iran appears to be at odds with the UN nuclear watchdog over information Tehran should provide on its nuclear program.
“We do not appear to be in agreement with Iran on its obligations to the IAEA,” Grossi said at the Rome conference, adding that he was concerned about Tehran’s recent announcement to increase its enrichment capability.
“We need to get our relationship back on track.”
But he said he “still hopes” Tehran will provide an explanation for uranium traces found at three undeclared sites a few years ago.
A recent IAEA report said Iran had agreed to an IAEA visit in November to begin providing long-awaited answers. But the meeting has not yet taken place.
Western powers say the issue of unexplained uranium particles has become an obstacle in broader talks to revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, as Tehran now seeks to shut down an IAEA investigation as part of those negotiations.
Grossi said the talks appeared to have stalled. “At the moment, the momentum needed to revive the agreement does not appear to exist,” he said.
He said he was concerned by Iran’s announcement last month that it had begun enriching uranium to 60% purity at its Fordow nuclear plant.
“Iran informed us that it is raising its uranium enrichment capacity by three-fold, not for two representatives, at 60%, which is very close to the 90% purity level required for military use,” he said.
This is not easy. This is something that has consequences. It gives them a stockpile of nuclear materials that cannot be overlooked… There may be another use. We need to go. We need to verify.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons, saying its nuclear technology is for civilian purposes only.
