US and Europe concerned about arrest of IAEA inspector in Iran
The European Union and the United States have expressed concern over the temporary detention of an International Atomic Energy Agency inspector in Iran, which Iran claims has found traces of the explosive nitrate in the detainee's test.
The European Union and the United States expressed concern over the temporary detention of an International Atomic Energy Agency inspector.
Jackie Wolcott, the US representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, called Iran’s move “provocative and provocative” in a statement on Thursday, November 7. She said the board of governors must make clear that the move “is completely unacceptable, will not be tolerated, and must have consequences.”
The European Union also said in a statement on Thursday, November 7, that it was “deeply concerned” about the incident. The EU statement, which was more subdued than the US ambassador’s statement, said that “we note that the issue has been resolved and we call on Iran to ensure that such an incident will not occur again in the future.”
Reuters reported yesterday that an International Atomic Energy Agency inspector was briefly detained at the Natanz enrichment facility last week and had her travel documents confiscated. The detained inspector is a woman who was forced to hand over her travel documents to Iranian officials, according to three diplomats with knowledge of the matter.
In response, the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran issued a statement explaining what it called “the blocking of an IAEA inspector from entering the Natanz facility.” The statement said that “the reason for Iran’s action was concerns that it may be carrying suspicious materials.” Iran said the inspector’s permit to enter had been “cancelled and notified to the Agency.”
Iran has claimed that the results of tests conducted on this individual have confirmed traces of nitrate explosives.
Iran claims: IAEA representative had “explosive nitrate” with him
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency, claimed on Thursday (November 7) that the reason an inspector was prevented from entering the Natanz enrichment facility was because he was carrying “traces of explosive nitrate.” The IAEA has not responded to Gharibabadi’s claim.
At the end of Thursday's meeting of the IAEA Board of Governors, Kazem Gharibabadi told the Islamic Republic Radio and Television about the IAEA inspector who was prevented from entering the Natanz facility: "When the inspector was at the Natanz facility, our detectors (control equipment) detected that this inspector could be carrying dangerous materials. Several measures were taken after that. The detector was not used just once, but rather in different environments, and even when it was used for his handbag, it raised an alarm and warned him."
Iran's representative to the Agency added: "I told the council members, given the history of sabotage in our nuclear facilities, that in no way and under no circumstances will we compromise national security and the safety and security of nuclear facilities, and we insist that the Agency must cooperate fully with us to conduct these investigations in full."
Source: DW
