Nuclear Showdown Escalates: U.N. Demands Answers From Iran as Pressure Mounts Over Missing Uranium
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear monitoring agency is urging Iran to restore cooperation with international inspectors, while the United States and its allies push for formal action demanding explanations about the fate of nuclear facilities and enriched uranium following military strikes carried out by Israel and the United States last year.
Rafael Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), appealed Monday for renewed engagement with Tehran so inspectors can once again gain access to sites that were damaged or destroyed during the bombing campaign.
According to the IAEA, Iranian authorities have yet to provide a full accounting of what occurred at the targeted facilities or disclose the whereabouts of nuclear material that had been stored there, including uranium enriched to levels approaching weapons-grade purity.
Although the attacks severely damaged Iran’s uranium-enrichment infrastructure, international officials believe that a substantial portion of the country’s highly enriched uranium stockpile survived. That includes material enriched to approximately 60 percent purity, a level significantly closer to the roughly 90 percent enrichment generally associated with nuclear weapons.
“It’s very important that we re-engage,” Grossi told the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors on the first day of a quarterly meeting.
In a separate written message to the board, Grossi emphasized the need for Tehran to resume cooperation with international safeguards and monitoring efforts.
“I call on Iran to engage the Agency constructively in order to facilitate the full and effective implementation of safeguards in Iran,” he added in a separate, written statement to the board, using a term that encompasses inspections.
While the agency has continued limited monitoring activities at certain locations unaffected by the bombing campaign, broader inspection efforts have largely stalled. In February, the IAEA suspended inspections at numerous sites because of security concerns stemming from renewed military activity. Since then, inspectors have only visited Iran’s operational nuclear power facility in Bushehr.
Speaking to reporters after addressing the board, Grossi acknowledged that communication with Tehran remains extremely limited.
“I have sporadic contacts with the foreign minister and others, but basically the channel of communication is broken,” Grossi told a press conference after he addressed the board.
At the same time, Washington is spearheading an initiative—supported by Britain, France, and Germany—to secure passage of a resolution requiring Iran to immediately disclose detailed information about the bombed facilities and the location of its enriched uranium stockpiles.
The proposed measure is expected to receive significant support when it comes before the board later this week. Diplomats familiar with the matter believe it is likely to pass by a comfortable margin, similar to a previous resolution approved in November.
However, some officials worry that additional pressure on Tehran could complicate ongoing efforts by Washington and Iran to preserve their ceasefire and create momentum for broader negotiations addressing Iran’s nuclear activities and other regional issues.
Iran has sharply criticized the draft resolution and rejected attempts to hold it responsible for providing information in the wake of the attacks.
“Responsibility for an internationally wrongful act rests with the perpetrator and cannot be transferred to the victim. The Board must not be instrumentalized to relieve those who carried out these attacks of their responsibility,” Iran’s mission to the IAEA said on X, referring to the draft resolution and the fact the U.S. bombed its nuclear facilities.
Historically, Tehran has reacted negatively to similar resolutions passed by the IAEA board, often responding by accelerating elements of its nuclear program or reducing cooperation with international inspectors.
Warning against additional pressure, Iran argued that confrontation would only make diplomacy more difficult.
“The Board should be cautious on the path forward. Coercion and confrontation do not lead to cooperation. It undermines prospects of a diplomatic solution,” it added.
The diplomatic tensions come as military hostilities between Israel and Iran continue. The two countries exchanged attacks late Sunday and again on Monday, prompting President Donald Trump to publicly demand an end to the fighting.
Trump called on both sides to “immediately stop ‘shooting,'” as his administration continues efforts to prevent further escalation.
Despite the renewed violence, Trump expressed confidence that diplomatic efforts with Tehran remain on track.
Speaking to the Financial Times on Sunday after Iran fired missiles at Israel, Trump said: “It’s not going to have any impact on the deal [with Iran].”
{Matzav.com}
