According to an report by Iranian Press TV on August 26, Mohammad Islami, head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI), stated that unless a protocol is established and approved by the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency for inspecting nuclear facilities under wartime conditions, the organization will have no right to claim access to such facilities.
Islami made the above statement on the 26th at the inauguration event for Iran's latest knowledge-based achievements in the nuclear field. He emphasized that Iran's interactions with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would be strictly governed by a law recently passed by Iran's parliament.
Islami clearly stated: "The International Atomic Energy Agency is well aware that under current conditions, the agency has no right to claim the authority to inspect sites that have suffered military strikes before the regulations and protocols are drafted, approved, and communicated."
He added that for facilities that have not been attacked, routine security inspections and supervision continue as usual. However, the situation at the sites affected by the attacks is completely different. “Iran remains in a state of war, and the conflict has not ended yet. The security at these sites has not fully recovered.”
In addition, Islami criticized the way the International Atomic Energy Agency handled recent hostile actions, stating that all the facilities targeted had previously been registered with the agency and received regular inspections. He argued that the International Atomic Energy Agency failed to protest or condemn military attacks, which questioned its independence and professional capabilities.
Islami said that the United States and Israel's efforts to have the International Atomic Energy Agency visit the damaged sites were not for nuclear safeguards purposes, but rather an attempt to conduct a war-damagement assessment. 'The only reason for this pressure is that they want to see what consequences their military actions have had on these sites.'
When talking about Trump’s recent threats to bomb certain locations in Iran, such as the Kuh-Karanje site, Islami said that such statements are a lesson in history, indicating that international organizations are being used by the United States and Israel as “playthings”. He urged the International Atomic Energy Agency to resist external pressure and threats, and to act strictly in accordance with its own regulations.
In the field of civilian nuclear energy, Islami emphasized the resilience of Iran's nuclear program. He also announced new agreements to expand the use of plasma technology in agriculture. Experimental treatments have increased wheat yields by at least 30%. In the medical field, he reported that there are currently 20 plasma wound healing clinics operating, with several more set to open up, aimed at treating chronic wounds and diabetic wounds.
Islami confirmed that during the entire war, Iran was able to maintain exports of radioactive materials to multiple countries. When the air transportation network was disrupted, land transportation was used, and currently, normal air transportation is being restored.
Press TV indicates that the current deadlock over site inspections is the latest escalation of a long-standing dispute between Tehran and the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency. Over the past few years, the Board of Governors, heavily influenced by American and European allies, has repeatedly passed resolutions criticizing Iranian nuclear activities. It often requests access to various Iranian nuclear facilities for inspections due to concerns about undisclosed activities or traces of nuclear materials at specific sites.
