UN Agency Chief Announces Upcoming Inspections at Key Iranian Nuclear Sites
TOKYO — The head of the UN’s nuclear agency signaled Wednesday that IAEA inspectors will visit Iranian nuclear enrichment sites, a key component of the interim US-Iran peace deal.
IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi made the remarks at a news conference in Japan, offering the firmest indication yet that the agency will soon resume inspections that have been blocked since Israel’s 2025 strikes on Iran.
“I can understand political statements, they are part of the reality, but the fundamental thing… is that there has been a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by both presidents,” Grossi said. The accord “explicitly states that the nuclear activities… will be supervised by the IAEA — in all letters.”
He added: “Obviously, to do that, we have to inspect. Whether this happens the day after tomorrow or in one week or in ten days, it’s important, but not essential. This is going to happen.”
The inspections are crucial for the deal, which requires Iran’s stockpile of uranium to be “downblended” from highly enriched levels. Iran is the only country to enrich uranium to 60 percent purity without a weapons program, though it maintains its program is peaceful. The US and Iran offered contradictory statements Tuesday about whether inspections would be permitted.
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