WANA (Dec 02) – The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has announced that, despite recent negotiations, the agency’s inspectors have still not been granted access to three damaged Iranian nuclear sites that were targeted in the June 22 attacks.
According to media reports, Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday in an interview with the Austrian daily Die Presse that IAEA inspectors remain present in Iran, but inspections have been suspended since the June strikes due to security concerns.
He explained: “Major facilities suffered serious damage, and at the time it was not possible to conduct inspections from a safety standpoint. After the attacks, Iran limited its level of cooperation with the agency.”
Grossi added that the IAEA has pursued dialogue on the issue and held talks in Cairo, which resulted in an initial agreement. “Our inspectors visited all sites that were not affected, but we still do not have access to Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow — the facilities that were struck,” he said.
Iran, for its part, has stated that due to the environmental and safety risks caused by what it describes as illegal attacks by the United States and the Israeli regime on its nuclear installations, a new inspection mechanism must be established. Iranian officials say that until such a framework is defined, access to the damaged facilities cannot be granted.
Arak nuclear facility after the U.S. strike. Social media/ WANA News Agency