IAEA accuses Iran of removing 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear sites

The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog agency says Iran is removing 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear sites in the country.

Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, makes the comments at a suddenly called news conference in Vienna.

Grossi says the move poses a “serious challenge” to its efforts. Iran does not immediately acknowledge it.

Grossi says that would leave “40-something” cameras still in Iran. The sites that would see cameras removed include Iran’s underground Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, as well as its facility in Isfahan, Grossi says.

Yesterday, Iran said it shut off two devices the IAEA uses to monitor enrichment at Natanz. Iranian officials also threatened to take more steps amid a years-long crisis that threatens to widen into further attacks.

That came ahead of a vote before the IAEA’s board censuring Iran over what the agency calls Iran’s failure to provide “credible information” over man-made nuclear material found at three undeclared sites in the country.