Latest news with #anti-IAEA
See - Sada Elbalad
04-07-2025
- Politics
- See - Sada Elbalad
IAEA Withdraws Inspectors from Iran Amid Escalating Nuclear Crisis
Taarek Refaat The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced on Friday that it has withdrawn its remaining inspectors from Iran, citing unresolved tensions and restricted access to nuclear facilities damaged in recent military strikes by the United States and Israel. The move marks a dramatic escalation in the already fragile standoff between Tehran and the West, following a 12-day conflict that began with Israel's surprise airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites three weeks ago. 'The last group of our inspectors has safely departed Iran and is en route to the agency's headquarters in Vienna,' the IAEA said in a brief statement posted on X (formerly Twitter). The inspectors had remained in Tehran during the height of hostilities, which erupted on June 13. Since the attacks, which targeted key nuclear sites including Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, the IAEA has been denied access to inspect the damage or monitor Iran's nuclear activities. Although Iran has not officially suspended cooperation with the agency, the Iranian parliament passed legislation last week that effectively halts such collaboration until authorities verify the safety and security of the country's nuclear infrastructure. The IAEA's Director General, Rafael Grossi, has described restoring inspector access as a 'top priority,' but acknowledged that the agency has faced increasing difficulties on the ground. Diplomats close to the matter say the number of inspectors in Iran has dwindled significantly since the war began, and concerns about their safety have grown amid mounting anti-IAEA rhetoric from Iranian officials and state media. Iranian leaders have accused the agency of 'laying the groundwork' for foreign military action, pointing to a sharply critical IAEA report issued on May 31, which concluded that Iran was in violation of key non-proliferation commitments. That report, endorsed by the IAEA Board of Governors, was followed by a resolution condemning Tehran's lack of transparency. In response to those accusations, Grossi defended the report, insisting it was based on factual assessments and denied that it served as a pretext for military intervention. 'We stand by our findings,' Grossi said. 'The agency does not facilitate or justify the use of force. Our role is strictly technical and impartial.' Tensions reached a boiling point after the U.S. joined the offensive on June 21, launching coordinated strikes on Iran's nuclear sites alongside Israel. In addition to infrastructure damage, several high-ranking Iranian nuclear scientists were assassinated in targeted operations, reportedly attributed to Israeli intelligence. With diplomatic channels frozen and IAEA oversight suspended, nuclear proliferation experts are warning of an increasingly opaque and volatile situation. 'The absence of inspectors on the ground makes it nearly impossible to verify what Iran is doing with its nuclear material,' one Western diplomat told [News Organization]. 'This is an extremely dangerous moment for global nuclear stability.' The latest developments raise urgent questions about the future of nuclear diplomacy with Iran, particularly in light of Tehran's recent statements asserting its right to continue uranium enrichment. While Iranian officials have expressed openness to renewed negotiations, they have made clear that any talks must exclude the threat of military action. As of now, the IAEA has given no timeline for when inspectors might return to Iran, and with mutual distrust deepening, prospects for de-escalation remain uncertain. read more Gold prices rise, 21 Karat at EGP 3685 NATO's Role in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict US Expresses 'Strong Opposition' to New Turkish Military Operation in Syria Shoukry Meets Director-General of FAO Lavrov: confrontation bet. nuclear powers must be avoided News Iran Summons French Ambassador over Foreign Minister Remarks News Aboul Gheit Condemns Israeli Escalation in West Bank News Greek PM: Athens Plays Key Role in Improving Energy Security in Region News One Person Injured in Explosion at Ukrainian Embassy in Madrid News Israeli-Linked Hadassah Clinic in Moscow Treats Wounded Iranian IRGC Fighters News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Videos & Features Tragedy Overshadows MC Alger Championship Celebration: One Fan Dead, 11 Injured After Stadium Fall Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News "Tensions Escalate: Iran Probes Allegations of Indian Tech Collaboration with Israeli Intelligence" Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
United News of India
30-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Iran could again begin enriching uranium within months: IAEA Chief Grossi
Vienna, June 30 (UNI) Rafael Grossi, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that while the US strikes have caused massive damage to the Iranian nuclear sites, they didn't fully destroy them, potentially enabling Tehran to proceed with enriching uranium in 'just a matter of months". Grossi's statement directly contradicts the stance of US President Donald Trump, who had said that the Iranian nuclear project was pushed back by decades, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the centrifuges at Fordo, Natanz, and Isfahan were severely damaged, pushing the program by several years, CBS News reported. In an interview with the media agency's 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' programme, the IAEA chief, giving his stance on the varying assessments said 'This hourglass approach in weapons of mass destruction is not a good idea. 'The capacities they have are there. They can have, you know, in a matter of months, I would say, a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium, or less than that. But as I said, frankly speaking, one cannot claim that everything has disappeared and there is nothing there.' Grossi added that while the watchdog group's investigations did not hint at a nuclear weapons program, the uranium enrichment was way beyond needed for civilian use. The situation was further made complicated by Tehran's refusal to answer some 'very important questions.' Verifying Grossi's statement of severe damage on Iranian facilities, a US official told CNN 'As Rafael Grossi said just days ago, the difference between Iran's nuclear program before and after Operation Midnight Hammer is 'night and day,' and a 'very serious level of damage' was done. 'Iran has no air defences, so the idea that they can just start rebuilding a nuclear weapons program is nonsense. As the President (Donald Trump) has said, Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon,' added the official. Meanwhile, post the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Tehran has officially withdrawn all government cooperation with the IAEA, accusing it of political bias, non-objectivity, and even sharing data which enabled Tel Aviv in targeting Iran's chief nuclear scientists. There have even been death threats issued against Grossi in wake of the ceasefire, amid the highly anti-IAEA sentiments in the country with Iranian Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stating that Tehran could also rethink its membership of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which prohibits signatories from developing nuclear weapons. UNI ANV RN
