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Middle East conflict

Military operations in Iran must be stopped so IAEA inspectors can come in — director

Rafael Grossi noted that Iran has the right to take emergency measures to ensure the safety of its nuclear facilities, but they must be implemented in accordance with the country's obligations to the IAEA

BERLIN, June 23. /TASS/. Military operations in Iran must be stopped so that inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) can safely enter nuclear facilities and assess the situation on the ground, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told an emergency meeting of the Board of Governors.

"There needs to be a cessation of hostilities for the necessary safety and security conditions to prevail so that Iran can let IAEA teams into the sites to assess the situation. IAEA inspectors are in Iran and they are ready," Grossi said.

"Establishing the facts on the ground is a pre-requisite for any agreement, and this can only be done through IAEA inspections. There needs to be a cessation of hostilities for the necessary safety and security conditions to prevail so that Iran can let IAEA teams into the sites to assess the situation. IAEA inspectors are in Iran and they are ready," Grossi said.

He noted that Iran has the right to take emergency measures to ensure the safety of its nuclear facilities, but they must be implemented in accordance with the country's obligations to the IAEA. Grossi said that any transfer of nuclear materials and related equipment inside Iran to a new location should be accompanied by a notification to the agency. According to Grossi, IAEA inspectors first need to check the status of the 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%.

The IAEA Director General also said that Iran had informed the agency of its plans to take special measures to protect nuclear materials and equipment in the event of a threat. Grossi thanked the Iranian authorities for their cooperation in monitoring the condition of the country's nuclear facilities, and also expressed gratitude to the relevant UN bodies.

On the night of June 22, the US army attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran: Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. US President Donald Trump said that Tehran should agree to end the conflict. Since June 13, Israel has been attacking Iran daily as part of an operation targeting Iran's nuclear program.

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