AEOI head urges Grossi to be professional, stop pressuring Iran

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
9 Feb 10:03

The head of the AEOI says Iran expects the IAEA chief to maintain professional behavior.

Head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization Mohammad Eslami during a news conference with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi in Tehran, March 5, 2022 (Reuters)

The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Mohammad Eslami, called on International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi to maintain professional conduct and refrain from participating in a pressure campaign against Tehran after the agency's recent reports, Press TV reported on Wednesday.

In a report issued last week, IAEA inspectors claimed that two cascades of IR-6 centrifuges for enriching uranium to 60% were interconnected in a manner that "differed significantly" from that declared by Iran in its report to the IAEA.

"We expect the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to maintain professional behavior and not be part of the pressure campaign against our country," Eslami was quoted as saying by Press TV.

The United States, France, Germany, and the UK claimed that Tehran made an "unnotified change" to the facility's devices, insisting that the alleged change "is inconsistent with Iran's obligations under its NPT-required Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement."

The IAEA also claimed its inspectors discovered a change to an interconnection between two clusters of centrifuges that differed significantly from what Iran had stated to the agency.

The change was allegedly discovered by the IAEA on January 21 at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, where inspectors are currently expediting inspections after Iran announced that it was drastically increasing enrichment.

Last week, Eslami affirmed that Iran contacted the agency and informed it that the mistake was actually in a faulty report submitted by one of the agency's inspectors during an unannounced visit to the facility.

"The agency’s position is regrettable," said Eslami, adding, "We immediately provided the [due] explanation [to the IAEA]…the agency’s inspector found out that they had made a mistake."

On Saturday, he further stressed that "this behavior is unprofessional and is unacceptable and we hope that the agency’s director general stops such practices because this is not acceptable for his and the agency’s credibility."

Kanaani: Iran informed IAEA of 60% enrichment last year

On February 5, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Nasser Kanaani pointed out that Tehran informed the IAEA late last year that it will increase the enrichment of Uranium at Fordow to 60%.

Kanaani indicated that in the January 2023 inspection, no new measures occurred in the facility contradictory to the November 2022 questionnaires which require Iran to notify the agency.

It is noteworthy that in response to an IAEA anti-Iran resolution drafted and pushed by the US and EU, Iran announced in November that it initiated enriching uranium at the Fordow nuclear power plant at a 60% purity level.