WANA (Jun 04) – The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who has so far abstained from condemning illegal strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, has once again demanded access to Iran’s damaged nuclear sites in his latest report to the Board of Governors.

 

In the report, excerpts of which were leaked to Western media on Thursday, Rafael Grossi claimed: “The Agency has neither received information from Iran regarding the status of declared nuclear material, facilities, and locations outside facilities for safeguards purposes, nor has it had access to any of these facilities and locations, with the exception of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, to conduct field verification activities.

 

Consequently, the Agency has been unable to fulfill its safeguards responsibilities under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) at Iran’s declared nuclear facilities, and is therefore unable to verify the status of these facilities and their associated nuclear materials.”

 

While acknowledging the reality that “military attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and sites have created an unprecedented situation,” the IAEA Director General stopped short of condemning these illegal actions, claiming instead: “The immediate implementation of the Agency’s verification activities in Iran in accordance with the NPT safeguards agreement and, where necessary, pursuant to the relevant provisions of Security Council and Board of Governors resolutions, is essential.”

 

The report further alleged: “The Agency cannot provide or verify any information regarding the current size, composition, or location of enriched uranium stockpiles in Iran, or confirm whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities, including research and development.”

 

Reductions in Cooperation Follow Unilateral Attacks

Cooperation between Iran and the IAEA faced restrictions following illegal U.S. and Israeli attacks against Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, alongside a law passed by the Iranian Parliament mandating the suspension of cooperation if the opposing parties fail to fulfill their obligations.

 

Following those developments, negotiations took place between Iran and the Agency regarding the continuation of interactions within the existing legal framework, culminating in a technical understanding in September of last year. However, the continuation of Western political maneuvering against Iran’s peaceful nuclear program led to a halt in the implementation of that understanding.

 

The Islamic Republic of Iran maintains that the baseline for its cooperation and engagement with the Agency remains the law passed by Parliament. Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei previously stated on the matter:

 

“We remain a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and committed to the safeguards agreement. In implementing these safeguards obligations, and keeping in mind the parliamentary resolution which designates the Supreme National Security Council as the authority in charge of this issue, we will move our interactions with the Agency forward.”