The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has warned that for five months it has not been able to verify the whereabouts of Iran's enriched uranium
The IAEA demanded that Tehran submit a special report on the status of the material and the bombed plants, as well as access to the damaged facilities. Although Iran has recently allowed a visit to thirteen unaffected sites, the agency warned that this is not enough to restore international confidence.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), under the United Nations, demanded that Iran's regime urgently restore cooperation with international inspectors. The agency recalled that nuclear monitoring has remained suspended since the attacks by the United States and Israel during the so-called "12-day war" last June.
According to the agency's latest technical report, seven of the country's twenty most important nuclear facilities were damaged, and since then inspectors have not been able to access the necessary information about nuclear material, especially uranium enriched to 60%.
The director general of the IAEA, Rafael Grossi, warned that "it is urgent to restore knowledge about nuclear inventories" and called on Tehran to grant immediate access to international experts. According to the report, the lack of verification since mid-June constitutes a "cause for serious concern" and could imply a violation of the Safeguards Agreement of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
At the start of the conflict, Iran possessed 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60%, an increase of more than 30 kilograms (66 pounds) in just one month. The absence of control over this material raised alarms among Western powers, which for years have suspected that the regime could allocate part of its nuclear program to military purposes.
"Only with full access and independent verification can it be ensured that declared nuclear material is not diverted to non-peaceful uses", the agency emphasized.
After the bombings, Iran suspended its cooperation with the atomic agency, although since August inspectors have been able to resume routine visits to the Bushehr plant in the south of the country. The next meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna will again focus on Iran's nuclear program, a central issue on the agenda of the United States, Israel, and European powers.
Washington and Jerusalem maintain that the theocratic regime seeks to develop nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists that its program is exclusively for civilian purposes.
