Iran says IAEA chief request to visit bombed sites suggests ‘malign intent'
TEHRAN: Iran on Friday rejected a request by UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi to visit facilities bombed by Israel and the United States, saying that it suggested 'malign intent'.
International Atomic Energy Agency director general 'Grossi's insistence on visiting the bombed sites under the pretext of safeguards is meaningless and possibly even malign in intent,' Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on X.
'Iran reserves the right to take any steps in defence of its interests, its people and its sovereignty.'
Araghchi again hit out at Grossi personally for not speaking out against the Israeli and US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, describing it as an 'astounding betrayal of his duties'.
UN nuclear chief urges 'more transparency' from Iran
He charged that the IAEA chief had 'directly facilitated… the unlawful Israeli and US bombings' by 'obfuscating' Iran's efforts to allay the watchdog's concerns in a May 31 report that accused it of 'less than satisfactory' cooperation.
That report led to the adoption of a censure motion by the IAEA board of governors that Iran says cleared the way for the 12-day war Israel launched on June 13.
The minister's comments came after the Iranian parliament approved a bill suspending cooperation with the UN watchdog.
Araghchi said the new relationship with the IAEA would continue 'until the safety and security of our nuclear activities can be guaranteed.'
Grossi had called on Monday for IAEA inspectors to be granted access to Iran's nuclear facilities so that they could establish what had happened to its large stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Concerns have been raised in Israel and in Western countries fearful of Iran's ambitions over whether Iran was able to relocate its stockpile before the Israeli and US strikes.
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