Iran has not acted as expected in terms of transparency regarding its nuclear program, said the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog at a press conference on Monday. Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, reported to the IAEA Board of Governors that Iran’s enriched uranium reserves at a level of 60 percent have reached over one ton in capacity.
Grossi warned that cooperation with Tehran on better monitoring its nuclear program was “very slow,” saying “a lot more” needed to be done despite the fact that some cameras and other equipment had been reinstalled.
At the beginning of the IAEA Board of Governors session in Vienna, Grossi emphasized the continuation of ambiguities at Iranian nuclear sites and insufficient cooperation with the agency.
The IAEA Director-General stated that Tehran only cooperates with a certain request raised by of the agency’s nuclear inspectors. According to a March agreement between the Iaea and Tehran, the mullahs’ regime was supposed to show necessary cooperation with IAEA inspectors for transparency regarding the detection of uranium traces at three previously undisclosed locations.
A few days ago, state media in Iran claimed that access to its “Abadeh site” had been granted to IAEA inspectors, adding this claim was published based on the statements of an “informed source.” However, during the Board of Governors’ session, Grossi dismissed the clarification of ambiguity regarding the Abadeh site, stating that the assessment by the inspectors of this location remains unresolved.
The Abadeh site is located in Fars province, south-central Iran, where a project called “Marivan” has been underway. The Iranian opposition coalition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) first revealed information about this site.
Intelligence about the site in the city of Abadeh in Fars Province had first leaked in July 2019, but was not made available to inspectors until August 2020. In the meantime, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly razed the buildings at that site and initiated efforts to sanitize it.
In a report to member states last week, Grossi said Iran had explained the depleted uranium traces found at one site.
Just prior to the Board of Governors’ meeting, excerpts from a confidential report by the agency were released by Reuters and French news agencies. The report stated that Iran’s estimated stockpile of enriched uranium stands at 4,744.5 kilograms, exceeding the permissible limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal by 23 times.
According to the report, Iran has offered a “possible explanation” regarding the detected depleted uranium particles at the ‘Marivan’ site. As a result, the IAEA currently has no further inquiries regarding this matter, and it is no longer unresolved at this stage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Iran’s explanation was “technically impossible”, adding, “The agency’s capitulation to Iranian pressure is a black stain on its record.”
Grossi suggested on Monday that Iran has been dragging its feet over the re-installation of monitoring equipment that was removed at Tehran’s behest a year ago.
“What needs to happen now is a sustained and uninterrupted process that leads to all the commitments contained in the Joint Statement being fulfilled without further delay,” Grossi said in a statement to the IAEA board.
The remarks of the IAEA Director-General come one day after Netanyahu’s warning and accusing the agency of “capitulation to Iranian pressure”.Grossi’s report to the IAEA Board of Governors has been selectively published in Iranian state media under the title of “Progress in Agreements.” These media outlets had previously reported that the issue of the discovery of 84 percent enriched uranium traces at the Fordow site in central Iran had been resolved based on technical explanations from Iranian authorities. However, Grossi emphasized in response to these claims that the issues are complex, and the IAEA has not yet reached a final conclusion.
Robert Malley, the US Special Representative for Iran, recently stated that the military option is still on the table in order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. However, he also added that Washington is still pursuing diplomatic solutions .
The Iranian regime has a long history of pursuing its drive to acquire nuclear weapons while constantly concealing and lying to the world about its nuclear activities.
