IAEA chief: Military escalation obstructs diplomatic path on Iran’s nuclear issue

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General, Rafael Grossi, has said that the current Israel-Iran military escalation is slowing down the process of reaching a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear program.

At the opening of an extraordinary session of the IAEA Board of Governors, he noted that the agency does not intend to leave Iran, and will continue to verify the implementation of nuclear safeguards in Iran when the security situation allows, Caliber.Az reports, citing the IAEA website.

“The Agency is and will remain present in Iran. Safeguards inspections in Iran will continue as soon as safety conditions allow, as is required under Iran’s NPT safeguards obligations,” the Agency’s chief pledged.

Grossi specified that he maintains contact with IAEA inspectors in the Islamic Republic, and also stated that there is “cooperation and exchange of information” between the country’s authorities and the agency.

“No damage has been seen at the site of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant or at the Khondab heavy water reactor, which is under construction. Bushehr nuclear power plant has not been targeted nor affected by the recent attacks and neither has the Tehran Research Reactor,” he added.

Speaking about the Esfahan nuclear site, he said four buildings were damaged in the June 13 attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the UF4 to EU metal processing facility, which was under construction.

The attack destroyed the above-ground portion of the uranium enrichment plant in Natanz.

The IAEA chief added that “the level of radioactivity outside the Natanz site has remained unchanged and at normal levels, indicating no external radiological impact to the population or the environment from this event.”

By Khagan Isayev