IAEA chief warns of consequences if Iran does not reaccredit nuclear inspectors

UNITED NATIONS — The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog urges Iran to reconsider its decision to deny access to top UN inspectors, telling AFP that failure to cooperate will carry severe consequences.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday that Iran had withdrawn accreditation from several inspectors, a move Teheran described as retaliation for “political abuses” by the United States, France, Germany and Britain.

“We have to ask them to review this decision,” IAEA chief Rafael Grossi says in an interview with AFP.

“If they do not cooperate with the IAEA, they will not get what they want: the assurances they want to see, the confirmation they want to see, the approval of the international community.”