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Iran warns nuclear watchdog to be wary of ’empty claims’
TEHRAN, March 11, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – Iran warned the UN atomic watchdog on
Wednesday to be wary of “empty claims” passed on to it, after the agency
raised questions about the Islamic republic’s nuclear programme.
The International Atomic Energy Agency last week accused Iran of denying
its inspectors access in January to two sites.
The IAEA “should maintain its credibility and not follow up on any empty
claims made by someone or some regime,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas
Mousavi said.
“Questions must be based on a legal and technical case and not some
regimes’ political games as Iran does not consider this right or
constructive,” he added.
IAEA chief Rafael Grossi on Monday urged Iran to provide access to the two
sites, and said it had failed to engage “in substantive discussions” to
clarify its questions.
Diplomats say these were related to past projects of the 2000s that were
alleged to have had a military dimension, and not to its current activities.
Iran’s representative Kazem Gharib Abadi, said last week that Tehran had
no obligation to grant the IAEA access to sites if it deems the requests to
be based on “fabricated information”, accusing the US and Israel of trying to
“exert pressure on the agency”.
Iran’s arch enemy Israel has claimed that its intelligence services have
new information on the alleged past projects.
The back and forth comes with a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement between
Iran and world powers hanging by a thread.
The accord — offering Tehran sanctions relief in exchange for limits on
its nuclear activities — has faltered since the US withdrew from it in 2018
and began reimposing unilateral sanctions on Iran.
In retaliation Iran has progressively abandoned some of the limits set by
the accord.
Other parities to the deal — Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia —
have expressed continued commitment to the deal.
But so far they have been unable to make up for the United States in
providing Iran with the economic benefits set out in the accord.
BSS/AFP/RY/1701 hrs