Tehran pushes ahead with uranium enrichment that is ‘very close to weapons grade,’ says watchdog chief
▶ Rafael Grossi urges Iran to remove barriers to inspections and abide by treaty, writes
Iran is “galloping ahead” with its uranium enrichment programme and continues to put up barriers to inspections, the head of the global nuclear watchdog has said. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, stressed that Tehran must abide by the nuclear proliferation treaty it signed.
“Iran is the only non-nuclear weapon state which is enriching uranium at this very, very high level – very close to weapons grade,” he told The
National. “I’m not saying they have a nuclear weapon, I’m saying this is sensitive. And when you’re doing that … you abide by the rules.”
The IAEA’s latest report found Iran has increased the rate at which it is producing nearweapons-grade uranium, reversing a slowdown that started in the middle of last year.
Iran’s push comes at a time of huge tension in the Middle East, with the war in Gaza fuelling hostility towards Israel and its allies, Mr Grossi said.
Daily barrages of missiles and drones fired by the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen have created an international shipping and security crisis in the Red Sea.
Mr Grossi said dialogue remains open with Iran, which has claimed its programme is for civilian use – even amid sabre-rattling against Israel and other adversaries.
“A snapshot shows a programme which is galloping ahead, moving ahead with ambitious goals,” he said. “We have nothing against that. But we say the visibility of the international inspectorate, the IAEA, must be commensurate with those activities.”
Western powers say otherwise – that Tehran wants nuclear weapons to threaten its enemies.
Even if Iran’s nuclear programme is for civilian use, Mr Grossi said, it is not abiding by its obligations.
“Iran is party to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. They should abide by this commitment,” he said. “Iran should do much more than it’s doing.”
Tehran continues to bar certain inspectors from its facilities, based on nationality, Mr Grossi said. “This of course is contrary to the spirit of our work,” he said. “This is very, very counterproductive.”
Turning to the Middle East’s nuclear future, Mr Grossi said Saudi Arabia is preparing for a sprint to produce civilian nuclear power.
“This will be of course a game changer in terms of the energy landscape of the world and of the Gulf,” he said.
“It’s very wise that as a country, just as the United Arab Emirates did a few years ago, they now look at diversification.”
Mr Grossi, who visited Riyadh last month, said the government is in the process of building up the workforce and expertise it will need.
“They are on the verge of receiving their first research reactor, built by an Argentine company, which will be a tool for training their engineers, their nuclear physicists,” he said. “They are interested to move fast, just like the UAE did.”
Mr Grossi said the UAE remains a strong example of a nation that can quickly make nuclear a part of its energy mix.
“One of the criticisms that has been addressed to the nuclear industry has been that it’s too slow and too expensive,” he said.
“Well, what we see at Barakah [a nuclear energy plant in Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi] is a clear demonstration that it needn’t be.
“I’ve been in nuclear diplomacy and nuclear work for more than 30 years and can tell you that is it very rare to see a project where you go from zero to being a fine nuclear producer within a decade, which has been amazing.”