In June, the IAEA said in a report to member states that there is a “serious concern that, for over four months, Iran has denied access to the Agency... to two locations.”
By LAHAV HARKOVAn Iranian flag flutters in front of the IAEA headquarters in Vienna(photo credit: REUTERS/ LEONHARD FOEGER)
Things “will be bad” for Iran if it does not allow inspectors to view suspected nuclear sites by the end of July, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Grossi warned on Wednesday.Addressing Iran’s refusal to grant the IAEA access to the sites, Grossi said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal: “I keep insisting on the absolute necessity for us to resolve this issue very soon... Let my inspectors go” to the sites.One step Grossi could take is to further update IAEA members on Iranian violations, which would bolster the American and Israeli campaign to renew the 2015 UN arms embargo on Iran, enacted as part of the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).In June, the IAEA said in a report to member states that there is a “serious concern that, for over four months, Iran has denied access to the Agency... to two locations” that may have been used for storing or processing nuclear material, and that one may have been used for converting uranium ore, including fluorination, in 2003.The IAEA also warned that Iran has stockpiled more than five times as much enriched uranium as permitted by the 2015 nuclear deal with the UK, France, Germany, Russia, China and the US, which withdrew in 2018. The agreement limited Iran to 300 kg. of enriched uranium, but it had 1,571.6 kg. as of May 20. Iran also surpassed the deal’s enrichment limit of 3.67%, with the highest level currently reaching 4.5%. Experts say 90% is necessary for a nuclear weapon.The agency’s board then censured Iran, despite opposition from Russia and China.The IAEA chief told The Wall Street Journal that stopping nuclear proliferation is his top priority, rather than keeping the JCPOA alive.
