IAEA chief says centrifuges at Iran's Fordo N-site rendered inoperable post US strikes
Vienna, June 26 (UNI) Rafael Grossi, head of the United Nations' nuclear watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said on Thursday that the centrifuges in Iran's Fordo nuclear facility have been rendered inoperable, due to the intensity of the US Air Force strikes on June 22, reports Iran International.
'Given the power of these bombs and technical characteristics of the centrifuges, we do know that they are no longer operational, simply because of the vibration, which causes considerable, important physical damage,' Grossi told Radio France Internationale. He said satellite images indicate the enrichment hall at Fordo was likely hit.
While Iran has maintained that the damage to its facilities has been minimal, and preliminary intelligence reports by the US and Israel also being inconclusive, both countries have said that the Iranian nuclear programme has been pushed back by several years, and probably decades.
Iran's Parliament recently passed a bill suspending cooperation with IAEA, after accusing it of political bias, towing the Western line, and not fulfilling its obligations, though it is yet to be ratified by the Islamic Republic's Supreme National Security Council.
Grossi added that Iran has not responded to the agency's request to resume inspections. 'The agency's presence in Iran is not a gesture of generosity, it's an international responsibility,' he said, stressing that inspections are a legal obligation under the Non-Proliferation Treaty.
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