Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said today (Wednesday) he’s confident the agency’s inspectors will return to Iran’s nuclear facilities—despite recent statements from Tehran saying it has no intention of allowing visits to sites damaged during the war.
During a visit to the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan, Grossi addressed the issue of oversight of Iran’s nuclear program and said existing commitments between the parties require the agency’s monitoring to continue. “I understand political statements, they’re part of reality, but there’s a memorandum of understanding signed by both presidents,” he said.
According to Grossi, the agreement stipulates that any nuclear activity at facilities containing nuclear material will be under IAEA oversight. He stressed that conducting inspections is an integral part of the arrangement, and estimated it’s only a matter of timing. “Whether it happens the day after tomorrow, in a week, or in ten days—it’s important but not critical. It’s going to happen,” he declared.
The comments come a day after President Donald Trump claimed Iran agreed to nuclear oversight “at the highest level” with no time limit, as part of understandings reached between the sides. Trump presented the agreement as one of the major breakthroughs in talks with Tehran.
Earlier this week, however, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said Tehran has no plan to allow IAEA inspectors to visit nuclear facilities that were attacked during the recent conflict. The gap between Iranian statements and the words of Trump and Grossi continues to raise questions about implementing the understandings and continuing international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.
Grossi’s statement could be read as another signal that the IAEA believes that despite Tehran’s public pronouncements, the commitments established under the agreements will ultimately be implemented, allowing inspectors to return to the country’s nuclear facilities.