IAEA inspectors' arrival in Iran approved by SNSC: Araghchi
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Iran has authorized the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor fuel replacement at the Bushehr power plant, aligning with parliamentary law and national interests.
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In this Oct. 26, 2010, file photo, a worker rides a bicycle in front of the reactor building of the Bushehr nuclear power plant, just outside the southern city of Bushehr. (AP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that the Supreme National Security Council authorized the arrival of International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to monitor the fuel replacement process at the Bushehr power plant.
According to Araghchi, decisions on the Bushehr power plant's fuel replacement have been made, mandating that it be supervised by International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors and confirming that all cooperation will be conducted within the boundaries of the parliament's law, a policy designed to serve the interests of the Iranian nation.
He went on to state that a final text of agreement on a new cooperation framework between Iran and the IAEA had not been adopted.
Meanwhile, Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, announced that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency will oversee the fuel replacement at the Bushehr power plant.
"This decision was made to adhere to the Bushehr power plant's scheduled timeline and to urgently address the need to supply the electricity grid with power on time," Kamalvandi stated, emphasizing that all inspections will require a prior Iran-IAEA agreement and must be based on existing bilateral arrangements, approved by Iran's Supreme National Security Council and compliant with the parliament's latest resolution.
IAEA, US meet over Iran's refusal to allow foreign inspections
Previously, on August 21, Bloomberg reported that IAEA officials were set to meet with US officials in the upcoming week, as concerns grow over the nuclear watchdog's inability to inspect and oversee Iran's nuclear stockpiles, according to three sources familiar with the matter.
According to three diplomats who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, this trip was organized after a recent unsuccessful attempt by the IAEA's top inspector, appointed by Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi, to secure Iranian approval for resuming monitoring activities, an effort that itself followed the 12-day Israeli war on Iran in June.
This development coincides with the United Nations nuclear watchdog growing increasingly pessimistic about the potential for returning inspectors to Iran, a situation that arose after their expulsion during the June conflict, effectively ending all international oversight of the extent and purpose of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capabilities.
