SAEDNEWS: Russia’s Rosatom chief confirmed that Iran’s Bushehr nuclear plant remains stable and operational despite Israeli and U.S. strikes. Meanwhile, Iran suspended cooperation with the IAEA, accusing Director General Rafael Grossi of bias and complicity in the attacks.
According to Saed News, Alexey Likhachev, CEO of Russia’s Rosatom, said on Tuesday—following IAEA inspectors’ supervision of fuel replacement at the Bushehr nuclear power plant—that the plant is currently stable and operational.
RIA Novosti reported that Likhachev told the outlet: “The status of this plant is proceeding according to routine operations and remains stable.”
Referring to the aggression of the Zionist regime against Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, he emphasized that this war has had no impact on the construction and operations of the Bushehr nuclear power plant.
On June 21, the United States, in cooperation with the Zionist regime, targeted Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities with bunker-buster bombs, violating Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity. The facilities sustained serious damage; however, neither Iranian officials nor the IAEA reported any increase in external radiation levels.
Iran suspended its cooperation with the IAEA after Rafael Grossi, the agency’s Director General, failed to fulfill his legal duties to protect Iran’s peaceful nuclear facilities, which were covered under the safeguards agreement with the agency. Tehran also denounced his biased technical report on Iran’s nuclear program, which it views as paving the way for these aggressions.
Although a degree of technical dialogue between Iran and the IAEA is ongoing, Tehran has announced it is reviewing the framework of cooperation with the agency following recent developments.
Recently, a team of IAEA inspectors traveled to Iran to conduct monitoring at facilities that were not targeted. These inspectors visited the Bushehr nuclear power plant and oversaw its fuel replacement process.
Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said after the inspectors returned from Iran: “According to the Parliament’s law, monitoring the process of fuel replacement at the Bushehr nuclear plant was on the agenda, and this was carried out with the permission of the Secretariat of the Supreme National Security Council. In this framework, two IAEA inspectors came to Iran, conducted the necessary inspections, and then departed.”
He added: “The important point is that what must be achieved according to law is now under negotiation. So far, two meetings have been held between the Foreign Ministry and the agency, and a third session is forthcoming.”
Grossi has emphasized the continuation of the agency’s monitoring activities in Iran, claiming that such measures are necessary to prevent the recurrence of the June aggressive attacks against Iran.
