Iran to cooperate with IAEA, inspections may be risky
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Iran plans to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog despite restrictions imposed by its parliament, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said, but stressed that access to its bombed nuclear sites posed security and safety issues.
The new law stipulates that any future inspection of Iran’s nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs approval by the Supreme National Security Council, Iran’s top security body.
“The risk of spreading radioactive materials and the risk of exploding leftover munitions … are serious,” state media cited Araqchi as saying on Saturday.
“For us, IAEA inspectors approaching nuclear sites has both a security aspect … and the safety of the inspectors themselves is a matter that must be examined.”
While Iran’s cooperation with the nuclear watchdog has not stopped, it will take a new form and will be guided and managed through the Supreme National Security Council, Araqchi told Tehran-based diplomats.
“The IAEA’s requests for continued monitoring in Iran will be …decided on a case-by-case basis by the Council with consideration to safety and security issues,” Araqchi said.
Iran will not agree to any nuclear deal that does not allow it to enrich uranium, Araqchi reiterated.
Axios cited sources on Saturday as saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had voiced support for the idea of an accord in which Tehran is unable to enrich uranium. But Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim quoted an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any such message to Iran.
Speaking to the state news agency IRNA, Araqchi said Iran was carefully considering the details of any renewed nuclear talks with the US and seeking assurances that Washington would not again resort to military force.
“We are in no hurry to enter into unconsidered negotiations,” he added.
Meanwhile, Iranian media reported Israel’s air strike on Iran’s capital last month killed five inmates of Evin prison and resulted in the escape of several others.
The semi-official ILNA news agency and other Iranian media quoted a spokesman for Iran’s judiciary that the five inmates killed in the June 23 strike had been convicted on financial offences. The spokesman didn’t name the victims or give any further details.
The judiciary’s own news website, Mizanonline quoted spokesman Asghar Jahangir as saying only that “small number” of inmates were killed. He added that an “insignificant number of inmates” had also escaped and that authorities would soon bring them back into custody.
Iranian authorities last month put the death toll from the air strike at 71. But Iranian media later raised that number to 80 including staff, soldiers, inmates and visiting family members.
It’s unclear why Israel targeted the prison. The Israeli Defense Ministry had said on the day of the air strikes that 50 aircraft dropped 100 munitions on military targets “based on high-quality and accurate intelligence from the Intelligence Branch.”
The 12-day air war left more than 1,060 dead in Iran and 28 dead in Israel.
with AP
Reuters
