IAEA has had no access to Iranian nuclear facilities for around six months – Grossi

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been unable to carry out monitoring activities at Iran’s nuclear facilities for more than six months, a situation that threatens the global nuclear non-proliferation regime.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi made the remarks while addressing the opening of the IAEA’s 70th General Conference in Vienna.

“We were forced to withdraw the inspectors, and apart from inspections carried out at the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant in June, we have not conducted any inspection activities in Iran for more than six months,” Interfax quoted Grossi as saying.

The IAEA Director General called on the Iranian authorities to resume cooperation with the agency in order to clarify issues related to Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“The IAEA is once again reaching out to Iran, inviting it to work together to clarify issues related to the nuclear programme,” Grossi said at the conference.

According to him, without the resumption of dialogue with the agency, there can be neither predictability, nor guarantees, nor trust in relations with the Islamic Republic.

At the same time, Grossi assured that the IAEA “will respect Iran’s security-related concerns” and take into account the difficulties the country faces in this area.

He also stressed that work on safeguards and confirming the exclusively peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear programme must continue. Grossi expressed his “firm optimism” about the prospects for resolving the issue.

It was reported earlier that Austria had not issued a visa to Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and the country’s Vice President, who had intended to travel to Vienna to attend the conference.