TOKYO: Despite Iran’s repeated denial of inspection of its nuclear sites as per the said agreement with the US, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi on Friday expressed hope that the UN nuclear watchdog would soon be able to resume inspections of the nuclear facilities in the Islamic Republic, saying that access to the sites is essential to verify Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Speaking at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Grossi said the IAEA’s technical work was already underway following the 14-point memorandum of understanding (MoU) reached between the United States and Iran. “What is undeniable is that we have an MoU. This MoU specifically indicates that the nuclear part of the memorandum will be supervised; this work will be supervised by the IAEA. In order to supervise, we need to inspect. There is no other way. So the technical work has started. And we hope to be there soon,” Grossi said.
The IAEA chief also spoke about Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, saying the agency’s current assessment is that the material remains at the locations where it was last verified in June 2025. Grossi further noted that most of the stockpile is believed to be at the Fordow nuclear facility, with additional material at Natanz.
However, he stressed that the agency must regain physical access to confirm the status of the uranium. (ANI)
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