Baku, Azerbaijan, April 10. Iran may expel
inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and
halt its cooperation with the agency, Ali Shamkhani, a senior
advisor on political affairs to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah
Seyyed Ali Khamenei, wrote on X, Trend reports.
According to Shamkhani, such a move could be seen as a response
to ongoing foreign threats against Iran and its measures to prepare
for potential military aggression.
He further emphasized that Iran might also consider relocating
its enriched uranium to secure and undisclosed locations within the
country.
On March 3, Rafael Grossi, Director-General of the IAEA,
mentioned during the IAEA Board of Governors’ meeting that Iran has
increased its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity by
93 kilograms, from 182 kilograms to 275 kilograms, compared to the
previous quarter. Iran remains the only non-nuclear weapon state to
enrich uranium to this level, raising significant concerns.
On March 30, US President Donald Trump said that Iran would face
unprecedented bombing if Tehran did not agree to a deal on its
nuclear program.
By the end of 2020, the Iranian parliament decided to pursue a
strategic plan in the nuclear sector to counter the sanctions,
leading to a suspension of additional steps and the Additional
Protocol as per the nuclear agreement.
Consequently, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
faced a reduction in monitoring capabilities by 20–30 percent.
Iran has officially affirmed that its strategy is not to pursue
the development of an atomic bomb and that it does not support the
production of weapons of mass destruction.
US President Donald Trump announced that discussions between
Iran and the US would take place directly. However, Iranian Foreign
Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi clarified that the talks would be
held indirectly in Oman on April 12.
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