Iran said it would not comply with any request from the United Nations nuclear watchdog to inspect its bombed nuclear facilities, citing a lack of established regulations for inspecting facilities damaged in military attacks.
In June, Israel and the United States carried out a major military attack targeting Iran’s nuclear program, damaging key locations such as Natanz, Ford, and Isfahan. The exact status of Iranian facilities after the attack remains unclear.
Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Agency, said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) should formally clarify whether such attacks are authorized. If not, he added, government agencies should condemn the strike and provide clear procedures for post-war inspections.
“If there is an established procedure for the post-war situation, the authorities should announce it so that we can act accordingly,” Eslami said, according to Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
“But in the absence of anything, our request, which we have formally communicated to them, is that they must clearly define and codify what measures should be taken in the event of a military attack on nuclear facilities registered with the authorities and under safeguards,” he added.
“Until this issue is resolved, political and psychological pressure and unrelated demands to re-inspect bombed facilities and complete enemy operations will not be accepted and will not be met with any response,” Eslami said, according to IRNA.
In late November, the IAEA called on Iran to provide full and prompt cooperation, permit verification of nuclear material, and comply with international safeguards and UN Security Council requirements, while continuing its diplomatic engagement.
At Tuesday’s UN Security Council meeting on nuclear non-proliferation, Deputy Head of the European Union Delegation Hedda Samson called on Iran to provide the IAEA with an up-to-date and verifiable declaration detailing the quantity, location and status of its nuclear material and related activities.
France’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Jay Dharmadhikari said Iran’s “failure to meet its international obligations related to its nuclear program poses a serious threat to international peace and security.”
In October, CNN reported on signs that Iran is ramping up rebuilding its ballistic missile program, despite the recent reintroduction of UN sanctions banning arms sales and ballistic missile activity to Iran.
Eslami reiterated that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful and focused on improving the country’s technical and scientific capabilities.
