IAEA chief says inspections will proceed under U.S.-Iran interim deal

[Financial News] The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has made clear that inspections of nuclear facilities in Iran will proceed under the interim peace agreement between the United States and Iran.
On the 24th, local time, the BBC reported that Rafael Mariano Grossi, the IAEA director general, told reporters during a visit to Japan that inspections would definitely take place and that discussions on the specific timing, procedures and locations would begin soon.
He stressed that the agreement signed by the two countries last week explicitly states that the dilution of Iran's highly enriched uranium must be carried out under IAEA supervision.
In recent days, the United States and Iran have been locked in a dispute over whether a UN inspection team would be allowed to visit. U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran had agreed to the return of inspectors, but a spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry countered that no detailed talks had taken place and that there were no plans to allow access to nuclear facilities bombed during the U.S.-Iran war in June last year. U.S. President Donald Trump dismissed Iran's claim, saying the country had fully agreed to inspections.
Grossi said of the conflicting claims from both sides, "Political statements can be understood as part of reality," but added, "What matters most is that the memorandum of understanding signed by the two countries clearly states in bold that all activities related to nuclear materials and facilities will be supervised by the IAEA," reaffirming his determination to push ahead with inspections.
He also said inspections would move forward in cooperation with the Iranian government, adding, "Whether it is the day after tomorrow, a week from now or 10 days from now, what matters is not the timing but the fact that the inspection takes place."
However, Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, wrote on his X account that access by inspectors to bombed nuclear facilities and nuclear materials would be discussed only within the framework of a "final agreement" with the United States and after practical steps are taken to lift all sanctions.
Under the agreement between the United States and Iran, the two sides must reach a final deal within 60 days under a 14-article memorandum of understanding. It includes measures to reprocess, or dilute, uranium on site under IAEA supervision. According to a recent IAEA report, inspectors visited the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant earlier this month, but they were unable to access sensitive nuclear facilities bombed last year, leaving them unable to determine the size of Iran's uranium stockpile or whether enrichment activities have been halted.

jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-jun Reporter