Iran’s gratitude for the moolah didn’t last long, as they blocked U.N. inspectors from accessing nuclear sites over the weekend:
The development, which comes as Iranian President Ebrahim Raisiprepares for a visit to New York City to address the U.N. General Assembly, adds a fresh layer to rising tensions over Tehran‘s nuclear activities.
In a rare statement, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said Saturday that Iranian officials had informed him they will no longer permit certain International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to conduct “essential verification work at the enrichment facilities in Iran which are under Agency safeguards.”
Remember, this is essentially the same regime that former President Obama struck a nuclear pact with. Former President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the deal in 2018 because it was, according to the Trump White House archives, “a disastrous one-sided deal that failed to end Iran’s nuclear program and the full range of the regime’s malign activity” and ” failed to protect American national security interests.”
The latest Iranian move was not well received by U.N. officials:
“Iran has effectively removed about one-third of the core group of the agency’s most experienced inspectors designated for Iran,” Mr. Grossi said.
The inspectors are in Iran to ensure compliance with the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Mr. Grossi acknowledged that under the NPT, Iran is permitted to veto individual inspectors it does not agree with. But the IAEA chief said Tehran‘s latest move is unwarranted.
R&I~Smit
DGM