UN Nuclear Watchdog: Unable to Inspect, Provide Info on Iranian Nuclear Efforts
The United Nations’ nuclear monitoring agency says it still cannot determine the status of Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile following last June’s war, according to a confidential report distributed to member nations and reviewed by The Associated Press on Thursday.
In the report, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated that it “cannot provide any information on the current size, composition or whereabouts of the stockpile of enriched uranium in Iran or whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities.”
The agency further warned that it was “unable to discharge its safeguards responsibilities” under the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The report stressed that it is “indispensable and urgent” for Tehran to fulfill the obligations required under that agreement.
According to the document, IAEA inspectors have had extremely limited access to Iranian nuclear sites since the agency’s previous report in February. The only facility visited during that period was the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where inspectors conducted an inspection between June 1 and June 3.
The reactor at Bushehr currently operates using uranium supplied by Russia and enriched to 4.5 percent purity, a level commonly used for civilian electricity production.
The report was released amid renewed instability across the Middle East.
On Wednesday, Iranian drones struck Kuwait’s primary airport, causing extensive damage to a passenger terminal. One person was killed, dozens were injured, and airport operations were temporarily suspended. The attack marked the latest escalation in the ongoing exchange of hostilities between Iran and the United States, despite a fragile ceasefire.
The IAEA estimates that Iran possesses approximately 972 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, a level considered only a short technical step away from the 90 percent enrichment generally associated with nuclear weapons.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi recently warned in an interview with the Associated Press that the existing stockpile could be sufficient to produce as many as ten nuclear bombs if Iran chose to weaponize the material. He emphasized, however, that such a capability does not mean Iran currently possesses a nuclear weapon.
Under IAEA procedures, material enriched to that level would ordinarily be subject to monthly verification and monitoring.
The report also noted that Grossi continues to support diplomatic efforts aimed at resolving concerns over Iran’s nuclear activities. It stated that he reiterates his “full support to the negotiations underway aimed at finding a mutually acceptable solution to issues related to Iran’s nuclear program and his readiness … to support an eventual agreement.”
Negotiations have continued for weeks as international mediators seek a more lasting arrangement to end the conflict, which has now entered its fourth month. Those discussions have become increasingly complicated by Israel’s expanding military campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, Iran continues to control access through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, a key route for global shipments of oil, natural gas, and related products. At the same time, the United States has maintained its blockade of Iranian ports.
As a result, energy markets remain under pressure, fuel prices continue to stay elevated, and the economic consequences of the conflict are being felt far beyond the Middle East.
{Matzav.com}
