\nIranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seyed Abbas \nMousavi said that Tehran is serious in protecting its vital nuclear \nsites and facilities as an inalienable right and expects the \nInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to respect regulations it has \nset for safeguarding such sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\n is imperative for the agency\u2019s inspectors to observe the Islamic \nRepublic of Iran\u2019s regulations as well as the regulations governing our \nimportant and vital facilities, because we view it as a right to protect\n our sensitive centers,\u201d Mousavi noted, touching the case of a female \nIAEA inspector who was barred from entering the Natanz uranium \nenrichment plant in central Iran on October 28 after she had tested \npositive for suspected traces of explosive nitrates<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran immediately reported the issue to the IAEA \nand accommodated it with relevant evidence too, he added, saying, \u201cWe \nare awaiting the agency\u2019s response. We hope that the agency has a \nconvincing response.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If Tehran deems necessary and finds some \ninspectors, whom the country itself has allowed onto its soil, in \ndefault of its laws and regulations or the standing agreements, \u201cIt is \nnatural [for the country] to be sensitive, and has to bar their entrance\n <\/p>\n\n\n
[into its nuclear facilities]<\/p>\n\n\n\n
,\u201d the Iranian official clarified.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On November 06, the Atomic Energy Organization of \nIran (AEOI) announced that it has not allowed an inspector of the IAEA \nto enter a nuclear site for carrying “suspicious” materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The AEOI added that the female inspector left her \nmission unfinished and flew out of Iran after security staff at the \nNatanz uranium enrichment facility didn’t let her in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“As it is protocol, all of the IAEA inspectors’ \nbelongings are closely inspected and scanned before they enter any of \nthe country’s nuclear facilities,” it added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Upon this lady inspector’s entry, the security \ncontrol machines sounded the alarm and denied her entry,” the statement \nsaid, adding then that Iran had reported the issue to the IAEA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Iran also told the IAEA in a report that the \ninspector’s previous admissions at various sites were all scrapped and \nas a result, she decided to abort her mission and go back to the \nAustrian capital city of Vienna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The report also asked the agency to help with investigations into the matter and it accepted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“The investigations are ongoing,” the AEOI said, \nnoting that the Iranian mission at the IAEA would present it with a \ncomprehensive report on the matter on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The IAEA monitors have been traveling in and out of Iran over the past months amid Tehran’s decision to cut back on its commitments under a 2015 nuclear deal, dubbed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in response to violations by the US and a lack of action to salvage the accord on part of the European signatories — the UK, France and Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nFNA\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Seyed Abbas Mousavi said that Tehran is serious in protecting its vital nuclear sites and facilities as an inalienable right and expects the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to respect regulations it has set for safeguarding such sites. \u201cIt is imperative for the agency\u2019s inspectors to observe the Islamic Republic of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2860,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8,1,6],"tags":[964,28,605,27],"yoast_head":"\n