IAEA urges Iran to provide information on uranium transport | United Nations News
The words of the UN chief of nuclear weapons come as Tehran and international authorities try to secure a 2015 treaty.
Iran has failed to answer questions about the presence of uranium particles in undisclosed locations in the country, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said, and asked Tehran to provide information “immediately”.
Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, has been asking Iran to respond to three incidents that took place several years ago when an analysis revealed human-generated uranium, indicating that it had previously been linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
This is in stark contrast to the ongoing talks that have pushed the United States back with an agreement with Iran in 2015 with world powers.
In April, the IAEA launched a new approach to “technical talks” with Iran in an attempt to “address the crisis” on the pages.
But a report released last week showed that IAEA questions had not been resolved.
“I am deeply concerned that nuclear weapons have been found in three undisclosed locations in Iran and that the location of nuclear weapons is currently unknown to the commission,” Grossi said.
Grossi said Monday that “his expectations have not been met” and that there has been no “progress” on the issue, although Iranian officials say they want to negotiate a deal. “Speaking should lead to an end,” he said.
Grossi also said it was “still difficult” to advance a temporary visit to Iran, as Tehran and international powers try to save the nuclear deal.
In February, Tehran suspended the IAEA’s review, prompting the council to enter into a three-month agreement to allow it to continue its work despite limited resources.
“I can see that this place is shrinking,” Grossi said.
At the end of May, the provision was temporarily extended until June 24, Grossi said, with the remaining time “too short”.
In light of the ongoing negotiations between Vienna between the world powers and Tehran for the restoration of the 2015 nuclear deal in Iran, Grossi said he hoped that “with more cooperation in the city or in other ways, we will not see… our powers to monitor further.”
“We can’t stop and continue to have a shortage of supervisors to watch and at the same time pretend there is confidence,” he said.
The diplomats are expected to end the talks by reviving the 2015 agreement on Iran’s presidential election on June 18.
The alliance has been disrupted since former US President Donald Trump left in 2018 and re-established Iran.
In retaliation, Iran has been ignoring the nuclear limit on the nuclear deal.
Grossi also said Monday that things in Iran were “big”.
“We have a country with a very advanced and popular nuclear program that is very rich … very close to nuclear weapons,” he said.
