UN Watchdog Raises Alarm as Iran Ends Cooperation, Blocks Inspectors

In a sudden escalation of nuclear tensions, Iran has announced it is ceasing cooperation with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), and has revoked access to its top inspectors, drawing international concern and condemnation.

The IAEA said on Thursday that Tehran had barred several senior inspectors responsible for monitoring Iran’s nuclear program, which greatly reduces the global community’s ability to monitor the country’s atomic activities.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi didn’t hold back the punches.
“Iran’s decision to de-designate some of the IAEA inspectors with the most experience is a serious setback to our verification and monitoring capabilities,” said Grossi.
He warned that the agency’s ability to ensure the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program is now “significantly compromised.”

Iran’s action follows increased diplomatic tensions with the West, particularly, the IAEA’s latest quarterly report, that has criticized Tehran for a lack of transparency and said it’s increasing enrichment at levels that exceed what is allowed under the expiring 2015 nuclear deal technically called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Sources familiar with Iranian authorities suggest that this was a “calculated warning” to Western powers, particularly the U.S. and E3 (France, Germany, and the UK), to cease what Iran sees as their pressure tactics via international forms, institutions, or entities.

The inspectors who were impeded by Iran were some of the most experienced staff in the world, with years of practice observing sensitive sites like Natanz and Fordow, two of Iran’s sites that have been involved with enriching uranium.

This recent action is part of a larger decline in relations between Iran and the West. After the U.S. withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018 under President Trump, Iran began to reduce its obligations under the JCPOA, including exceeding levels of uranium enrichment and limiting access to the IAEA.

In recent months, Tehran has said that it is amassing uranium enriched up to 60% a level that is alarmingly close to weapons-grade. Iran believes that its nuclear program is for energy production purposes only.

Diplomats are working furiously behind closed doors for a way to de-escalate. France has suggested helping hold a compromise inspection framework suggested by Iran, while Switzerland has volunteered to host emergency negotiations.

The dismissal of IAEA inspectors opens a new and dangerous chapter in the hostility between Iran and the rest of the world. It raises doubts about the Iranian nuclear enterprise and the legitimacy of global arms control regimes.

With the region already in high-alert mode due to wars in Gaza, Syria, and the Red Sea, the stakes are high; all it takes is one misstep for things to escalate further, and time is limited.

Keep reading questeuro

About The Author