IAEA denied access to nuclear complex due to ‘security and judicial investigations’: Iran

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iran says that access to the Tessa Karaj Complex was not part of its agreement with the United Nation’s atomic agency as it is under “security and judicial investigations”, a day after the UN’s atomic agency said that the denial of access was contrary to the agreed terms.

Iran’s ambassador and permanent representative to the UN, Vienna took to Twitter to express his concern saying that Iran had indicated during discussions in Tehran and Vienna that “since Tessa Karaj Complex is still under security and judicial investigations, equipment related to this Complex are not included for servicing,” hence the use of the phrase “identified equipment” in the joint statement between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran’s atomic energy agency (AEOI). 

“Therefore, DG's (Director General) report on Sep 26 isn't accurate and goes beyond the agreed terms of the JS (Joint Statement). Any decision taken by Iran on monitoring equipment is only based on political rather than legal considerations and the Agency cannot and should not consider it as one of its entitlements,” Kazem Gharibabadi added.

The two sides earlier this month released a joint statement saying that Iran permits IAEA inspectors “to service the identified equipment and replace their storage media which will be kept under the joint IAEA and AEOI seals in the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 

However on Sunday, the IAEA said that they had been denied access to the Tessa Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop and defined it as contrary to the agreed terms of the joint statement. 

Gharibabadi also expressed concern over the agency’s lack of a stance when Iranian nuclear facilities were attacked in the past year.

“It's deeply regrettable that after 3 terrorist attacks in Iran's nuclear facilities during past 1 year, the Agency has not yet condemned them, as it is required to do so by GC (IAEA General Conference) & GA (UN General Assembly) resolutions and even for the sake of its own equipment, safety and security of its inspectors,” he said.

The statement from Gharibabadi came a day after a fire broke out in one of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) self-sufficiency centers west of Tehran, injuring three employees. 

Iran's nuclear facilities have come under attack several times, which Israel has indirectly claimed to be behind some of them. The two countries have shared years of conflict over Iran’s nuclear program, with Israel claiming that Iran is building a nuclear bomb, and Iran claiming that their nuclear program is peaceful.