Iran escalates tensions with threat to expel IAEA inspectors
If external pressure on Iran and threats of attack increase, Tehran might break off cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, expel its inspectors, and hide enriched uranium, Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's spiritual-political leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned on Thursday.
On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump once again threatened Iran with the use of military force if the authorities in Tehran do not agree to a nuclear deal. Trump added that Israel would lead such an operation. On Saturday, Iranian-American talks about the nuclear agreement are set to begin in Oman.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu emphasize that their main goal is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. The leaders of both countries declare that it would be best to achieve this through diplomatic negotiations, but they have also threatened military actions should the talks not yield the intended results.
"Continuous external threats and blackmailing Iran with an attack could lead to deterrent measures such as expelling inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency and suspending cooperation" with this organization, Shamkhani wrote on Wednesday on the X platform. He added that Iran might also consider "relocating enriched material (uranium) to secure, undisclosed locations."
In 2023, Iran banned some inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from working on its territory. The IAEA Board of Governors condemned Iran in November 2024 for failing to cooperate with the agency, including not providing explanations for the presence of uranium traces in undeclared locations and shutting off cameras monitoring nuclear installations.
Conclusions from the report: Iran increased its stockpile of enriched uranium
According to an IAEA report from fall 2024, at that time, Iran significantly increased its stockpiles of enriched uranium, including fuel with 60% purity, thus close to the 90% level necessary for producing nuclear weapons.
In 2015, Iran and world powers reached a nuclear agreement intended to limit Tehran's nuclear program. During the previous presidency of Donald Trump (2017-21), the United States withdrew from the deal. Iran also departed from its provisions, enriching uranium beyond the stipulated limit. The West accuses Tehran of secretly developing capabilities necessary for producing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this, emphasizing that its nuclear program is exclusively for civilian purposes.
