Iran will not allow the International Atomic Energy Agency to enter nuclear facilities

Tehran has said that it will not allow inspectors from the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to enter Iran's nuclear facilities damaged by Israeli and US bombings.

At a press conference in Tehran on Tuesday (June 23), Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Bagheeri said that they have not had any meeting with the IAEA Director General. And we have no plans to send the agency to inspect Iran's nuclear facilities damaged by US and Zionist military aggression.

Earlier on Monday, US Vice President J. D. Vance claimed that Iran would allow UN nuclear inspectors to inspect its nuclear facilities again. He called it an important progress and the first step towards permanently disarming Iran's nuclear program.

The comments came after talks between Iran and the United States in Switzerland, where Pakistan and Qatar are playing the role of mediators. Israel and Iran were locked in a 12-day war in June last year. The US joined in at one point. At that time, Washington launched airstrikes on Iran's Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear facilities. Later, Iran said that the Natanz facility had been damaged again in the recent war.

US President Donald Trump claimed last year that Iran's nuclear program had been "completely destroyed". However, there is no confirmed information about the extent of the damage yet. Iran says that it has not yet allowed international inspectors access to the facilities due to security reasons.

Cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency was suspended in July last year through a law passed by the country's parliament. Iran complained that the agency had failed to condemn the Israeli and US attacks.

However, in September, the two sides agreed to resume cooperation through a new framework agreement. Although the agreement did not apply to the facilities damaged in the bombings. "There is no clear protocol in this regard," Ismail Baghei said on Tuesday.

Source: The Hindu