Grossi on the Possibility of Inspectors Returning to Iran: The Opportunity Has Been Lost

Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), expressed disappointment regarding the lifting of the ban on access for some agency inspectors to several nuclear facilities in Iran. On Wednesday, October 4, Grossi, speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, referred to the agency's efforts to lift this ban imposed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, stating, "Unfortunately, this opportunity has been lost." The restrictions against some agency inspectors, implemented by the Iranian government last year, faced severe condemnation from the IAEA. The agency referred to this new ban as an "unprecedented" action and described it as a "very serious blow" to its ability to conduct meaningful inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities. Subsequently, the IAEA's Board of Governors, composed of 35 countries, issued a resolution calling for increased cooperation from the Islamic Republic of Iran with the agency and the lifting of the ban on access for its inspectors. Grossi told Reuters that Iranian officials, who spoke a few months ago about the possibility of lifting this restriction, have now announced that the banned inspectors will no longer be returned to the list of authorized inspectors of the agency. He added that therefore, "unfortunately, this opportunity has been lost." The IAEA Director General also expressed hope that next month, in a meeting with Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the Fourteenth Government in the Islamic Republic, he could find solutions for some of the deadlocks between the agency and the Iranian government regarding issues such as the discovery of uranium traces at one of Iran's undeclared nuclear sites and the expansion of oversight over some of Iran's nuclear activities. According to Reuters, recent developments have cast doubt on Grossi's efforts to lift the ban on inspectors familiar with enrichment activities in Iran's nuclear program. Diplomats have stated that currently, only one enrichment expert remains on the list of authorized inspectors of the agency in Iran. The importance of having inspectors familiar with uranium enrichment lies in the fact that one experienced agency inspector, over a year and a half ago, in January 2023, was able to uncover a subtle yet significant change in the uranium enrichment centrifuges that Iran had not informed the agency about. This change led to an 84% increase in Iran's uranium enrichment level. Reuters reported, citing diplomats, that the inspector who identified this change, considered one of the agency's uranium enrichment experts, was later removed from the list of authorized inspectors by the Islamic Republic for access to Iran's nuclear sites. On September 8, the IAEA announced in a confidential report that the Islamic Republic of Iran had increased its enriched uranium stockpiles to a level "close to weapon-grade" in defiance of international demands. Experts have stated that increasing the purity of enriched uranium from 60% to weapon-grade 90% requires only "a short and technical step." The Guardian also recently reported, citing its sources, that Britain and the United States have expressed concern over the potential exchange of Russian nuclear technology and knowledge in exchange for ballistic missiles from the Islamic Republic. Source: Reuters, previous reports from VOA. Grossi: There are hopeful signs of the Islamic Republic's officials' willingness for more effective cooperation with the agency. The White House's reaction to Pezeshkian's remarks about the Islamic Republic's interest in returning to the JCPOA: Actions are more important than words. The head of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission: The Iranian government continues to deceive the agency and the international community. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency says he will soon go to Iran for "important meetings."