No restrictions for routine IAEA inspections in Iran, says atom chief

Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (IAEA) Mohammad Eslami announced on Saturday that the UN nuclear watchdog has always could conduct its routine inspections at Iran’s nuclear facilities without facing any limitations.

News ID: 5587

Date: 14 December 2024 - 13:48

TABNAK, Dec 14: “To this day, the agency has always had access for its inspections within the framework of safeguards and the NPT, and we have not and will not create any obstacles to it,” Mohammad Eslami said Saturday, on the sidelines of a visit to the Nuclear Achievements Exhibition.

He reiterated that Iran operates within the framework of the IAEA, saying it is natural that the agency will increase its inspections after a rise in nuclear activities.

“When you engage in nuclear activities involving nuclear materials, scaling up operations naturally requires scaling up the level of inspections. This is normal,” he said. “As we’ve increased capacity, it’s natural that the number of inspections must also increase.”

Eslami also pointed to the Zionist regime’s propaganda campaign targeting Iran’s peaceful nuclear program, adding, “These discussions that are being created and the distortions made against us originate from the Zionist regime, which has been propagating against us and Iran's nuclear activities for years. They are seeking to incite the world against us.”

“We will engage with the agency on the remaining two sites” that have been subject to the agency’s probe, he said. “The alleged cases are fabricated by the Zionist regime, and the regime enjoys this type of movement and fabrication of cases because it keeps the whole world busy so that it can continue its fault-finding against Iran.

Eslami also noted progress in developing a modality for cooperation, as agreed in the joint statement, asserting that all ongoing activities align with these terms.