Accreditations withdrawn
Iran sparks horror at the Atomic Energy Agency
September 16, 2023, 10:12 p.m
The International Atomic Energy Agency is shocked by Iran’s “disproportionate and unprecedented” actions. Due to the withdrawal of further accreditations, the monitoring options are now significantly restricted. It is not known how many inspectors there are left.
The authorities in Iran are withdrawing the accreditation of further inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for inspections of nuclear facilities in the country. This significantly limits the IAEA’s ability to monitor the enrichment of uranium in Iran, IAEA chief Rafael Grossi said at the authority’s headquarters in Vienna. An inspector’s accreditation had already been revoked. The team has now shrunk by a third. Grossi did not provide the total number of inspectors.
“I strongly condemn this disproportionate and unprecedented unilateral measure,” said Grossi. “This highly regrettable decision by Iran is another step in the wrong direction.” The agency will no longer be able to credibly assure that nuclear materials and activities in Iran only serve peaceful purposes. He called on the country’s leadership to reconsider and revise these steps.
In a nuclear agreement in 2015, Tehran committed itself to drastically restricting the enrichment of uranium and allowing strict IAEA controls. This was intended to prevent the construction of nuclear weapons. In return, many sanctions against Iran were lifted. Since the US under then-President Donald Trump withdrew from the pact in 2018, Tehran has gradually broken its commitments and, among other things, started producing highly enriched uranium.