The Islamic Republic of Iran refuses to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) regarding a warehouse on the outskirts of Tehran which Israel alleges has been used to store nuclear materials related to the Mullah’s aspiration to develop nuclear weapons.
Tehran’s reported attempts to evade the U.N. watchdog organization, as well as its latest breaches of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement were extensively discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors in Vienna yesterday.
During the closed-door meeting the head of the IAEA inspection team to Iran had reportedly said that Iran refuses to cooperate with an investigation dealing with the nuclear materials’ warehouse that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed in remarks he made to the United Nations General Assembly about a year ago.
The Israeli leader responded to the leaked report in a recorded statement, said that Tehran’s refusal to cooperate clearly indicates continued efforts by Iran to deceive the international communities about its nuclear ambitions. After pointing out that the IAEA followed up on his call to “send inspectors to the scene” after his exposure of the secret nuclear warehouse in Turkuzabad, Netanyahu said “And I tell you, Iran keeps lying. Iran continues to hide its nuclear program. Iran is even continuing and renewing its forbidden uranium enrichment – the whole purpose of which is solely the production of nuclear weapons.”
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who also serves as Israel’s Defense Minister, also used the opportunity to once again call on the international community “to wake up” and “join the United States and Israel, and further increase the pressure on Iran.” He also reiterated Jerusalem’s resolve to thwart Tehran’s ambition to develop nuclear weapons “under any circumstances.”
In response to TV7’s request for comment, the IAEA said in a written statement: “Acting Director General Cornel Feruta on 7 November delivered an oral report to the IAEA Board of Governors on safeguards matters in Iran. The Acting Director General informed the Board about the Agency’s ongoing efforts to clarify questions related to the completeness of Iran’s safeguards declarations. He said Iran should provide full and timely cooperation and promptly respond to the Agency’s questions in order to resolve the matter. He also reiterated that the IAEA is ready to continue interactions with Iran with a view to resolving the matter as soon as possible.”
TV7 also contacted the Iranian Foreign Ministry for comment, yet it failed to immediately respond.