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Iran denies IAEA access to nuclear sites

A meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency was held today in Vienna, in light of a defiant lack of Iranian cooperation vis-à-vis the Islamic Republic’s nuclear related activities.

The nuclear watchdog sounded ‘alarm’ over an incident that occurred last week, in which Iranian Authorities denied IAEA inspectors access to sites, where questions surfaced about Iran’s past nuclear activities.

Iranian officials insisted that the Nuclear Agency’s investigation was based on “fabricated” Israeli intelligence; and therefore Tehran decided to suspend cooperation with the U.N. Agency regarding the sites in question. It is important to mention that diplomats who closely monitor the IAEA’s endeavors in Iran insisted that the decision to inspect the sites in question – from which the agency aspires to obtain environmental samples – was only partially based on documents that Israel’s Mossad Agency seized in the Islamic Republic.

Meanwhile IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano clarified the matter, during the meeting in Vienna today. He said, “The Agency has identified a number of questions related to possible undeclared nuclear material and nuclear-related activities at three locations that have not been declared by Iran.” And while “The Agency sought access to two of the locations,” “Iran has not provided access to these locations and has not engaged in substantive discussions to clarify the Agency’s questions.” Mariano further warned that Tehran’s defiant refusal to cooperate “adversely affecting the Agency’s ability to clarify and resolve these questions and to provide credible assurance of the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran.” He concluded his remarks by calling “on Iran to cooperate immediately and fully with the Agency, including by providing prompt access to the locations specified by the Agency.”