UN Nuclear Inspectors Return to Iran; IAEA Chief Under Extra Security After Threats
United Nations nuclear inspectors have returned to Iran for the first time since the June war with Israel, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Tuesday.
“Now the first team of IAEA inspectors is back in Iran, and we are about to restart,” IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told Fox News. He said discussions with Tehran are focused on “practical modalities” to resume monitoring work at multiple facilities, some of which were struck during Israeli and US operations earlier this year.
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Alongside the restart of inspections, Grossi himself has been placed under round-the-clock protection by Austrian authorities. The Wall Street Journal reported that Vienna’s intelligence services received information of an Iran-linked threat, leading to heightened security measures for the agency chief.
Iran cut cooperation with the IAEA after Israeli forces targeted nuclear sites, missile facilities, and senior officials in a sweeping campaign aimed at halting what Israel called steps toward weaponization. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons, though it has enriched uranium to levels with no civilian purpose and repeatedly obstructed inspections.
The return of inspectors also comes as Iran holds talks in Geneva with Britain, France and Germany, where European governments have warned that sanctions could be reimposed if Tehran continues to expand its program outside the framework of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Iranian officials have intensified rhetoric against Grossi in recent months, accusing him of siding with Israel. One hardline newspaper even called for him to be “tried and executed as an Israeli agent,” remarks condemned by European governments. A senior aide to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wrote online that Grossi would be dealt with “when the war ends.”
