IAEA chief says returning to Iran nuclear sites is top priority
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More news: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi said that his top priority is getting his inspectors into Irna to assess the country’s military facilities and verify its stocks of enriched uranium following strikes from the US and Israel.
"This is the number 1 priority," Grossi told a news conference at an Austrian security cabinet meeting.
Reuters reports that when Grossi was asked whether Iran had informed him of the status of its stocks of enriched uranium, particularly its uranium enriched to up to 60% purity (close to weapons grade), he referred to a letter from Tehran on 13 June, which had said the country would take special measures to protect nuclear materials and equipment.
"They did not get into details as to what that meant but clearly that was the implicit meaning of that. We can imagine this material is there," Grossi said, implying that much of the material referred to had survived the attacks.
While Trump has maintained that the US strikes “obliterated” nuclear sites, particularly three key facilities of Natanz, Isfahan and Fordow, US intelligence reportedly says Iranian nuclear sites were not destroyed but damaged in the strikes.
The White House has rejected the reports as “flat-out wrong.”
Earlier on Wednesday Iranian parliament passed a bill in favour of suspending the country's co-operation with the IAEA.
Iranian parliament votes to suspend co-operation with UN nuclear watchdog
The news: Lawmakers in Iran have voted in favour of suspending the country’s co-operation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, according to Iranian state television.
The numbers: 221 lawmakers voted in favour and one abstained in Iranian parliament on Wednesday, with no votes against from those present in in the 290-seat legislature.
The context: The bill still needs final approval from Iran's Supreme National Security Council to be enforced according to media outlet Nournews.
Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said: “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which refused to even marginally condemn the attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities, put its international credibility up for auction…for this reason the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran will suspend its co-operation with the IAEA until the security of the nuclear facilities is guaranteed.”
Tehran has repeatedly denied that it seeks to build nuclear weapons and that the IAEA resolution adopted earlier this month which declared that Iran was in breach of its non-proliferation obligations paved the way for Israel to launch attacks.
Qaalibaf added that Iran would also accelerate “the country's peaceful nuclear programme."
The sources: Reuters, Shafaq news
