Grossi: IAEA inspections in Iran have resumed

Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said: The International Atomic Energy Agency has resumed inspections in Iran, but it does not have access to key sites.

In an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Grossi was asked whether any practical progress had been made in resuming inspections and when IAEA experts would be able to access the Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow sites. He stated: This is the most important issue we are currently facing in Iran.

He added: The Agency has managed to resume inspection activities, but these activities are very limited.

The Director General of the IAEA said: We are only allowed to enter facilities that were not struck; this is good in the sense that these facilities are on the agreed list for inspection.

Grossi claimed: This is important for us; however, the other three facilities (in Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow) are even more important, because they still contain significant amounts of nuclear material and equipment, and we need to return there.

Earlier, the Director General of the IAEA, in an interview with a Spanish-language outlet, claimed that he is seeking to reach a sustainable solution regarding Iran’s nuclear issue.

Previously, Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at his weekly press conference: The Director General of the Agency keeps repeating a set of statements, but this does not change the existing realities.

Baghaei emphasized that the reality is that Iran, as a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), is aware of its obligations, fulfills them, and expects the IAEA Director General, instead of addressing Iran, to address the parties responsible for creating this situation.

He stressed: As long as approaches are not fair, no problem will be resolved, and the Director General of the Agency must, by emphasizing the authorities granted to him under the Agency’s Statute, present his technical assessment.