Former Deputy Director of the International Atomic Energy Agency Urges Iran to Facilitate 'Verification'

The former deputy director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) urged Iranian officials to end their 'game' and allow for verification of their nuclear activities. In an interview with a special program titled 'Nuclear Program: National Honor?', Olli Heinonen criticized the Islamic Republic's 'half-hearted' behavior towards the IAEA and the numerous unanswered questions from the agency. He called on Iranian authorities to help facilitate the IAEA's verification process and resolve the issue. Heinonen stated, 'It is time for Iranian officials to allow the IAEA to verify without obstruction whether the destructive activities of the Islamic Republic in nuclear activities have ceased, and if equipment related to nuclear weapons construction is present at Iranian nuclear sites, it should be dismantled without any penalties.' On June 11, Ali Khamenei, after visiting an exhibition of the Islamic Republic's 'nuclear achievements,' remarked that 'another truth seen in the twenty-year nuclear challenge was the inhumane, unfair, and bullying logic of our opponents.' On May 22, Associated Press reported that satellite images from Planet Labs showed the Islamic Republic was digging a deep tunnel near the Natanz nuclear site in central Iran. Two days later, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Islamic Republic's Atomic Energy Organization, denied this news, stating that Iran's nuclear activities are 'in accordance with the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency' and that 'any new activity is reported to this agency.'