Iran must “seriously improve” its cooperation with United Nations inspectors to avoid heightening tensions with the West, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, citing International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi.
Grossi told the FT that while the IAEA has conducted about a dozen inspections in Iran since hostilities with Israel began in June, inspectors have not been granted access to key nuclear sites such as Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, which were bombed by the United States.
Grossi said in October that movement had been detected near Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile, though he stressed it did “not imply that there is activity on enrichment.”
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei later said Grossi was “fully aware of the peaceful nature” of Iran’s nuclear program and should not make “unfounded remarks” about it.
Iranian officials have accused the IAEA of providing justification for Israel’s bombing, which began the day after the agency’s board voted to declare Iran in violation of its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Grossi told the FT that while the agency was trying to manage its “bumpy” relations with Iran with understanding, Tehran still must comply with its commitments.
“You cannot say, ‘I remain within the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons treaty,’ and then not comply with obligations,” Grossi said. “You cannot expect the IAEA to say, ‘OK, since there was a war you are in a different category.’ Otherwise, I will have to report that I have lost all visibility of this material.”