WASHINGTON: The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said a team of its inspectors are “back in Iran,” the first to enter since Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this year.
Iran suspended cooperation with the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency following a 12-day war with Israel in June, with Tehran pointing to the IAEA’s failure to condemn Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.
“Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart,” director general Rafael Grossi told Fox News’ “The Story” in an interview aired on Tuesday.
“When it comes to Iran, as you know, there are many facilities. Some were attacked, some were not,” Grossi said.
“So we are discussing what kind of... practical modalities can be implemented in order to facilitate the restart of our work there.”
The announcement came as Iran held talks with Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Tuesday, with Tehran seeking to avert a sanctions snapback which the European powers have threatened to impose under a moribund 2015 nuclear deal.
Iran’s deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi, who attended the talks, said it was “high time” for the European trio “to make the right choice and give diplomacy time and space.”
Britain, France and Germany — parties to the 2015 deal — have threatened to trigger the accord’s “snapback mechanism” by the end of August.
Tuesday’s meeting was the second round of talks with European diplomats since the end of the June war, which was triggered by an unprecedented Israeli surprise attack.
The conflict derailed Iran’s nuclear negotiations with the United States.
It also cast a chill on Iran’s ties with the IAEA, with Tehran blaming the UN agency in part for the attacks on its nuclear facilities.
Israel says it launched the attacks to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has repeatedly denied.
The 2015 nuclear deal was torpedoed in 2018 when Donald Trump, during his first term as president, unilaterally withdrew the United States and slapped sanctions on Iran.
UN nuclear watchdog chief says inspectors ‘back in Iran’
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UN nuclear watchdog chief says inspectors ‘back in Iran’
- The head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has said a team of its inspectors are “back in Iran,” the first to enter since Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities this year
Tunisian police clash with youths in Kairouan after man’s death
- Tunisia President Kais Saied shut down parliament and began ruling by decree in 2021 in what he called a move to root out rampant corruption and mismanagement, but which the opposition called a coup
TUNIS: Clashes erupted for a second night on Saturday between police and youths in the central Tunisian city of Kairouan after a man died following a police chase, according to his family, fueling authorities’ fears that protests could spread across the country. As Tunisia prepares to mark the January anniversary of the 2011 revolution, which sparked the Arab Spring uprising, tensions have risen amid protests, and a powerful UGTT union call for a nationwide strike next month. Thousands have been protesting for weeks in the southern city of Gabes, demanding the closure of a chemical plant on environmental grounds.
Witnesses said demonstrators in Kairouan threw stones, petrol bombs and flares, and blocked streets by burning tires, prompting police to disperse crowds with tear gas.
The family said the man, riding a motorcycle without a license, was chased by police, beaten, and taken to a hospital. He later fled and died on Friday from a head injury.
The government was not immediately available to comment. Relatives of the deceased said they will not remain silent and will spark major protests if those responsible are not held accountable.
In a bid to defuse tensions, Kairouan’s governor visited the family on Saturday evening and pledged to open an investigation to determine the circumstances of the death and establish accountability, witnesses said.
Tunisia President Kais Saied shut down parliament and began ruling by decree in 2021 in what he called a move to root out rampant corruption and mismanagement, but which the opposition called a coup.
Rights groups accuse Saied of using the judiciary and police to stifle criticism, something that Saied denies.
