Grossi: Inspections Have Resumed in Iran, but We Lack Access to Key Facilities

According to Khabaronline, an Iranian news agency, Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, said in an interview with RIA Novosti that the Agency has resumed inspections in Iran but still does not have access to key facilities.

“This is the most important issue we are currently facing in Iran,” he said. “We have been able to restart inspections, but we still do not have access to key sites.”

On Wednesday, 21 Aban (November), Grossi had also stated in a report on Iran’s nuclear program that Iran has not allowed IAEA inspectors access to nuclear facilities that Israel and the United States have bombed.

According to Grossi, the Agency’s lack of access to these nuclear materials for five months means that verification activities have long been delayed.

At the same time, the IAEA confirmed that it has inspected some Iranian nuclear facilities that were not damaged during the so-called 12-day imposed war with Israel and the U.S. attack.

Responding to Grossi’s remarks, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said that IAEA inspectors visited several Iranian nuclear sites last week, including the Tehran Research Reactor. He added that procedures and regulations regarding other nuclear facilities are clear.

“Under a law passed by parliament, we are obliged to decide on any request by the Agency to inspect nuclear facilities after coordination with the Supreme National Security Council,” Baghaei said.

He added that Iran is facing exceptional circumstances due to the aggressive actions of the Israeli regime and the United States, and that the IAEA must understand this reality.

“These are not normal conditions,” he said. “Before the recent military aggression, Iran cooperated with the Agency in a conventional manner, and after the Cairo agreement on cooperation under new conditions, we reached an understanding.”