Iran: IAEA says it cannot guarantee that the nuclear program is peaceful

Published on: 07/09/2022 – 16:31 The IAEA estimated on Wednesday that it could not “guarantee” that the Iranian nuclear program is “exclusively peaceful”. Its managing director, Rafael Grossi, says he is “more and more worried”. No clarification in sight in the Iranian nuclear dossier. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said on Wednesday, September 7, “not to be in a position to guarantee that the Iranian nuclear program is exclusively peaceful”, due to the absence of answers from Tehran on the question. undeclared sites. In a report published before the Board of Governors next week, the director general of the UN body Rafael Grossi, says he is “increasingly worried” while “no progress has been made to solve” the case of traces of enriched uranium found in various places in the past. He calls on the Islamic Republic “to meet its legal obligations” and to cooperate as quickly as possible. >> See: Nuclear negotiations: “There is no reason for Iran to back down” one of the main points on which the negotiations which started in April 2021 in Vienna stumble to revive the 2015 agreement, torpedoed three years later by former US President Donald Trump. Tehran again called on Tuesday for a closure of the investigation of the IAEA to reach a compromise with its direct interlocutors (Germany, France, United Kingdom, China and Russia), while the United States participates indirectly. Stocks that exceed the authorized limit by more than 19 times IAEA also deplores the decision announced in June by Iran to remove a number of surveillance cameras, citing “detrimental consequences for the ability” to verify the civilian nature of the nuclear program. While restricting access to UN body, Ir year has continued in recent months to accumulate enriched uranium, according to estimates delivered in a separate document. Stockpiles now exceed more than 19 times the limit authorized by the international agreement of 2015. Tehran has thus increased its total reserves on August 21 at 3,940.9 kg, against 3,809.3 kg in mid-May, far from the ceiling of 202.8 kg to which he had committed. Iran notably increased its stock of 20% enriched material to 331.9 kg, against 238.4 kg previously. This level, which is beyond the 3.67% set by the agreement, theoretically makes it possible to produce medical isotopes, used in particular in the diagnosis of certain cancers. The Islamic Republic also has 55.6 kg against 43.1 kg of uranium enriched to %, a threshold close to the 90% necessary for the development of an atomic weapon, against 33.2 kg previously. With AFP