WANA (Nov 05) – The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that referring Iran’s nuclear file to the UN Security Council over reduced inspections is not yet necessary, while confirming that “international inspectors have not had access to the Iranian nuclear sites that were targeted.”

 

Rafael Grossi, without mentioning Western actions toward Iran — despite the fact that the Islamic Republic has continued its voluntary cooperation with the Agency — stated that Iran must “seriously improve its cooperation with UN inspectors” to prevent further escalation of tensions with the West.

 

Speaking to the Financial Times, Grossi noted that “although the IAEA has conducted several inspections in Iran since the Iran-Israel war in June, inspectors have not been granted access to the country’s most important nuclear facilities — Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan — which were bombed by the United States.”

WANA - Fordow Nuclear facility after U.S. strike

Fordow Nuclear facility after U.S. strike. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Grossi added that while the attacks caused serious damage to those facilities, the fate of 408 kilograms of highly enriched uranium in Iran remains unclear, creating a growing sense of urgency to resume full inspections.

 

“We should have already resumed the inspection work,” he said, adding that the Agency is striving to rebuild its “turbulent relationship” with Iran based on mutual understanding, but that Tehran still needs to cooperate.

 

Grossi also remarked, “You cannot say ‘I remain in the Non-Proliferation Treaty’ and then fail to comply with your obligations.”

WANA - Arak nuclear facility after U.S. strike

Arak nuclear facility after U.S. strike. Social media/ WANA News Agency

Despite never condemning the U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities — or reacting appropriately to what he called an “illegal act” by Washington — Grossi said, “You cannot expect the IAEA to say, ‘Well, since there is a war, you belong to another category.’ Otherwise, what I must do is report that I have lost all monitoring of these materials.”

 

According to the Financial Times, the IAEA has relied on satellite imagery to assess the sites bombed by the United States.

 

The IAEA chief concluded that “while referring Iran’s case to the UN Security Council due to reduced inspections is not yet necessary, cooperation must be seriously improved.”