Iran Becoming Aggressive in Pursuit of Nuclear Weapons, IAEA Chief Warns

IAEA director-general Rafael Grossi warned the IAEA Board of Governors that Iran may be taking a more aggressive approach to the nuclear weapons issue. He said, “Public statements made in Iran regarding its technical capabilities to produce nuclear weapons and possible changes to Iran’s nuclear doctrine only increase my concerns about the correctness and completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations.”

In addition, Grossi said that despite his visit in early May to Tehran, which at the time he said could reignite more positive cooperation, “I deeply regret that Iran has yet to reverse its decision to withdraw the designations for several experienced Agency inspectors,” meaning that the Islamic Republic has still banned many key IAEA inspectors from its soil.

Some of those inspectors caught Iran enriching uranium up to 84% in February 2022, the closest it ever got to the 90% weaponized level.

Grossi did reference that he had met “with Foreign Minister, H.E. the late Mr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian,” leaving open the possibility that progress was set back by his death in the recent helicopter crash, but also noted that “Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), H.E. Mr. Mohammad Eslami,” who is still alive, was also part of the discussions.

Moreover, he stated, “There has been no progress in resolving the outstanding safeguards issues. Iran has not provided the Agency with technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at Varamin and Turquzabad or informed the Agency of the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment.” (JPost / VFI News)

“Our Heavenly Father, we pray that a nuclear war will not erupt in the Middle East. We pray that You prohibit Iran from enriching its uranium even more and that You regulate all countries that are currently in possession of nuclear weapons, in Yeshua’s name. May You protect us from nuclear war and allow us to rejoice in peace according to Your Will in Heaven.”