There is “no indication” that Iranian nuclear sites have been damaged in the current U.S.-Israeli war against the Islamic regime, International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said on Monday.
Grossi told the body’s Board of Governors during an emergency meeting in Vienna that while efforts to contact Iranian nuclear authorities continue, his organization has received “no response so far.”
He went on to say that “so far, no elevation of radiation levels above the usual background levels has been detected in countries bordering Iran.”
Iran’s envoy to the IAEA, Reza Najafi, told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting that Israel had attacked the Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday.
The extraordinary meeting of the IAEA’s Board of Governors, which represents 35 countries and usually meets five times annually, was called at the request of Iran and Russia—one of Tehran’s key allies.
Washington and Jerusalem on Saturday morning launched joint military action aimed at neutralizing the threats posed by Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
The U.S. military embarked on “Operation Epic Fury” after the Islamic Republic refused to commit to zero enrichment as demanded by U.S. President Donald Trump.
“It has always been the policy of the United States, in particular my administration, that this terrorist regime can never have a nuclear weapon,” Trump declared in an initial statement on Saturday.
“They’ve rejected every opportunity to renounce their nuclear ambitions, and we can’t take it anymore,” the president said.
Grossi on Monday emphasized that to achieve a “long-term assurance that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons,” Tehran and Washington should “return to diplomacy and negotiations.” He also called on all parties “to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation.”
He noted that several Gulf nations that have suffered Iranian missile and UAV attacks—including the Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates—and that “all use nuclear applications of some sort or the other.”
“The situation today is very concerning,” Grossi warned. “We cannot rule out a possible radiological release with serious consequences, including the necessity to evacuate areas as large or larger than major cities.”
On Saturday, the IAEA said it could not verify whether Tehran had suspended uranium enrichment following strikes on its nuclear facilities during June’s 12-day war with Israel and the United States.
In a confidential report circulated to member states and seen by the Associated Press, the nuclear watchdog said Tehran has denied inspectors access to facilities that were hit in the fighting.
As a result, the agency “cannot verify whether Iran has suspended all enrichment-related activities” or determine the size of its enriched uranium stockpile at the affected sites, according to the document.
