UN nuclear watchdog chief says Iran ready to restart technical conversations
Also Read | Violence, destruction could reach 'unthinkable levels' if diplomacy fails: IAEA chief
The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it must be allowed to resume inspections after Israeli and U.S. airstrikes last month that aimed to destroy Iran's nuclear programme and deny it the capacity to build a nuclear weapon.
Mr. Grossi said in Singapore that Iran must be transparent about its facilities and activities.
He told reporters alongside a public lecture that the IAEA had proposed that Iran start discussions on "the modalities as to how to restart or begin (inspections) again".
"So this is what we are planning to do, perhaps starting on technical details and, later on, moving on to high level consultations. So this will not include inspections yet."
On Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Iran had agreed to allow a technical team from the IAEA to visit in the coming weeks, but not to go to the nuclear sites.
Tehran, which denies seeking to build a nuclear weapon, has said access to the bombed sites poses security and safety risks.
Mr. Grossi said he had no further information from Iran on the status and whereabouts of its stock of some 400 K.G. of highly enriched uranium.
"This is why it is so important that we engage as soon as possible and that we can start our inspection," he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
30 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Ministers gather at UN for delayed meeting on Israel, Palestinians
Dozens of ministers will gather at the United Nations on Monday for a delayed conference to work toward a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, but the US and Israel are boycotting the event. The 193-member UN General Assembly decided in September last year that such a conference would be held in 2025. Hosted by France and Saudi Arabia, the conference was postponed in June after Israel attacked Iran. The conference aims to lay out the parameters for a roadmap to a Palestinian state, while ensuring Israel's security. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told newspaper La Tribune Dimanche in an interview published on Sunday that he will also use the conference this week to push other countries to join France in recognizing a Palestinian state. France intends to recognize a Palestinian state in September at the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said last week. 'We will launch an appeal in New York so that other countries join us to initiate an even more ambitious and demanding dynamic that will culminate on September 21,' Barrot said, adding that he expected Arab countries by then to condemn Palestinian militants Hamas and call for their disarmament. The conference comes as a 22-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza still rages. The war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel's military campaign has killed nearly 60,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities. The US will not attend the conference at the United Nations, said a State Department spokesperson, describing it as 'a gift to Hamas, which continues to reject ceasefire proposals accepted by Israel that would lead to the release of hostages and bring calm in Gaza.' The State Department spokesperson added that Washington voted against the General Assembly last year calling for the conference and would 'not support actions that jeopardize the prospect for a long-term, peaceful resolution to the conflict.' Israel is also not taking part in the conference, 'which doesn't first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the remaining hostages,' said Jonathan Harounoff, international spokesperson at Israel's UN mission. The UN has long endorsed a vision of two states living side by side within secure and recognized borders. Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip, all territory captured by Israel in the 1967 war with neighboring Arab states. The UN General Assembly in May last year overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member by recognizing it as qualified to join and recommending the UN Security Council 'reconsider the matter favorably.' The resolution garnered 143 votes in favor and nine against. The General Assembly vote was a global survey of support for the Palestinian bid to become a full UN member – a move that would effectively recognize a Palestinian state – after the US vetoed it in the UN Security Council several weeks earlier.
NDTV
an hour ago
- NDTV
The UN, Palestinians, Israel And A Hope For Two-State Solution
Ever since the partition of Palestine into Jewish and Arab states in 1947, the United Nations has been inextricably linked to the fate of Palestinians, with the organization meeting this week hoping to revive the two-state solution. Here is a timeline on the issue: Partition In November 1947, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 181 dividing Palestine -- which was then under British mandate -- into Jewish and Arab states, with a special international zone for Jerusalem. Zionist leaders accepted the resolution, but it was opposed by Arab states and the Palestinians. Israel declared independence in May 1948, triggering the Arab-Israeli war which was won convincingly by Israel the following year. Around 760,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled -- an event known as the "Nakba," Arabic for "catastrophe," which the United Nations only officially commemorated for the first time in May 2023. Self-determination In the aftermath of the Six-Day War of 1967, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 242, which called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from territories occupied during the conflict, including the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem. But linguistic ambiguities between the English and French versions of the resolutions complicated matters, making the scope of the required withdrawal unclear. In November 1974, Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), gave his first speech to the UN General Assembly in New York, saying he carried both "an olive branch and a freedom fighter's gun." Days later, the UN General Assembly recognized the Palestinians' right to self-determination and independence. It granted UN observer status to the PLO as a representative of the Palestinian people. Oslo talks, without UN One of the strongest peace initiatives did not come from the United Nations. In 1993, Israel and the PLO -- which in 1988 unilaterally declared an independent State of Palestine -- wrapped up months of secret negotiations in Norway's capital Oslo. The two sides signed a "declaration of principles" on Palestinian autonomy and, in 1994, Arafat returned to the Palestinian territories after a long exile and formed the Palestinian Authority, the governing body for the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. US role UN Security Council decisions on how to treat the Palestinians have always depended on the position of the veto-wielding United States. Since 1972, Washington has used its veto more than 30 times to protect its close ally Israel. But sometimes, it allows key resolutions to advance. In March 2002, the Security Council -- at Washington's initiative -- adopted Resolution 1397, the first to mention a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel, with secure and recognized borders. In December 2016, for the first time since 1979, the Council called on Israel to stop building settlements in the Palestinian territories -- a measure that went through thanks to a US abstention, just before the end of Barack Obama's White House term. And in March 2024, another US abstention -- under pressure from the international community -- allowed the Security Council to call for an immediate ceasefire amid Israel's offensive on Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the militants' October 7 attack. That measure came after the United States blocked three similar drafts. Towards recognition? In 2011, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas initiated the process of requesting membership of the State of Palestine to the UN, which required a positive recommendation from the Security Council, followed by a favorable vote from the General Assembly. In the face of opposition from the United States, the process was halted even before a vote in the Council. The following year, the General Assembly granted the Palestinians a lower status as a "non-member observer State." In April 2024, the Palestinians renewed their request to become a full-fledged member state, but the United States vetoed it. If the Palestinian request had cleared the Security Council hurdle, it would have had every chance of being approved by the necessary two-thirds majority in the Assembly. According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state. In the absence of full membership, the Assembly granted the Palestinians new rights in 2024, seating them in alphabetical order of states, and allowing to submit resolution proposals themselves for the first time.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
2 hours ago
- Business Standard
New York to Tokyo: Japan proposes capital for UN office relocation
Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike has proposed relocating certain functions of the United Nations (UN) to Japan's capital, citing safety, security, and the cost advantages of operating in Tokyo due to the weak yen, according to several Japanese media outlets. Koike met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres at the organisation's headquarters in New York on July 24, where she expressed Tokyo's readiness to support a broader UN presence. The meeting was part of Koike's official visit to the United States. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, she said, 'Life in Tokyo is advantageous in terms of safety and security, and thanks to the weak yen.' Japan currently hosts several UN bodies, such as the United Nations University and an office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Trump admin policies driving cost-cutting and relocation Koike's comments come at a time when the UN is undertaking cost-cutting measures under pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump. Rising expenses in New York have prompted the relocation of parts of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to Nairobi, Kenya, where operational costs are lower. Donald Trump withdraws US from major UN programmes Meanwhile, the United States, under President Trump, has been withdrawing its involvement from several UN programmes. In January, shortly after taking office for his second term, Trump announced the US' withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO). On February 4, Trump signed an executive order pulling the US out of the UN Human Rights Council and cutting funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), citing anti-Israel bias and institutional failure. Last week, he announced the US' formal withdrawal from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), effective end-2026. The latest withdrawal was criticised by Unesco Director-General Audrey Azoulay, who stated it contradicts the principles of multilateralism and may impact the agency's partnerships in the US. Several United Nations offices, including UN headquarters, and affiliated agencies operate in the United States, primarily centred in New York City, but also Washington, DC, and other locations. Koike cites weak yen and Tokyo's readiness for UN office relocation Although Koike did not present a specific proposal during the meeting, she had previously suggested transferring functions of UN agencies, including the UN Security Council, the World Health Organisation (WHO), and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), during a session at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly in June. Guterres responded that the UN has received similar cooperation offers from other parts of the world. Japan has recently made other moves to enhance its global engagement, including a proposal to host an Asian branch of the International Criminal Court in 2023. Koike's push for Tokyo comes as the UN marks its 80th anniversary this year.
