Iran’s atomic organization claims it won’t impede IAEA access to nuclear sites
Statement comes after UN nuclear watchdog warned that Islamic Republic has begun accelerating uranium enrichment
The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said Friday the body will not impede the UN nuclear watchdog’s access and inspection of its sites.
According to a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) earlier this week, Iran agreed to tougher monitoring by the agency at its Fordow site after it greatly accelerated uranium enrichment there to near weapons-grade.
“We have not created and will not create any obstacles for the agency’s inspections and access,” Atomic Energy Organization head Mohammad Eslami was quoted as saying by Iranian media.
“We operate within the framework of safeguards, and the agency also acts according to regulations—no more, no less,” he added.
The IAEA censured Iran twice in the past year for its refusal to cooperate with the organization’s inspections.
Tehran has also banned certain veteran inspectors from its nuclear sites, apparently for reporting to the IAEA on uranium enrichment advancements at the facilities.
While a country is allowed to veto inspectors assigned to visit its nuclear facilities, the IAEA has said Iran went beyond normal practice.
Last week, the IAEA reported that Iran had multiplied the pace of its enrichment at Fordow up to 60 percent purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%.
According to a statement from the watchdog, Iran had begun feeding two cascades of advanced IR-6 centrifuges with uranium previously enriched up to 20%.
Cascades are a group of centrifuges that spin uranium gas together to enrich the uranium more quickly. The IR-6 centrifuges enrich uranium faster than Iran’s baseline IR-1 centrifuges, which have been the workhorse of the country’s atomic program.
While Iran maintains its nuclear program is peaceful, Western officials say there is no credible peaceful application for uranium at the level to which Tehran has enriched it.
Officials in the Islamic Republic have increasingly hinted at potentially seeking the bomb and an intercontinental ballistic missile that would allow Tehran to use the weapon against distant foes like the United States. US intelligence agencies and the IAEA say Iran had an organized military nuclear program up until 2003.
Iran is committed to Israel’s destruction. Over the past year, it has twice fired massive barrages of missiles at Israel, which has vowed to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.
