Israel: IAEA accepted Iran’s lies over nuclear site

The move to close the probes into Marivan and Fordo will have “extremely dangerous consequences.”

By World Israel News Staff

Israel on Thursday expressed outrage over the decision by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to close an investigation into an undeclared Iranian nuclear site, warning that could have “extremely dangerous consequences.”

The Israeli Foreign Ministry accused the IAEA of succumbing to pressure from Tehran after the UN watchdog closed a probe around traces of man-made uranium found at the Marivan site, located southeast of Tehran.

The Foreign Ministry charged Iran with providing unreliable and technically implausible explanations for the presence of nuclear material at the site, accusing the regime of “continuing to lie to the IAEA and deceiv[ing] the international community,” according to a statement.

“The IAEA director-general [Rafael Mariano Grossi] yielding to Iranian political pressure is very disappointing, mainly because the information in the file implicitly points to blatant Iranian violations of the inspection agreements,” the statement went on.

The IAEA’s confidential quarterly report stated that concerns over secret nuclear activity at Marivan had been resolved, as the agency determined that another member state had operated a mine in the area in the 1960s and 1970s. Iran argued that the uranium traces could have originated from laboratory instruments and equipment used by miners, a possibility acknowledged by the IAEA. Marivan has been linked to Iran’s secret military nuclear program in the past, with allegations of high-explosive tests conducted there.

The closure of the investigation into uranium particles found at Iran’s Fordo facility, which were enriched to 83.7% — a stone’s throw from weapon’s grade — was also accepted by the IAEA based on Iran’s explanation of enrichment byproduct fluctuations.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant responded to the events at an IDF ceremony, saying “the dangers to Israel continue to grow more severe and it is becoming more likely that we will need to fulfill our obligations to defend the security of our country and the future of the Jewish nation.”

“The dangers facing the State of Israel are complex and only escalating and we may be required to fulfill our duty in order to protect the integrity of Israel and especially the future of the Jewish people,” Gallant said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I hear all of the media references regarding Iran, so I have an unequivocal and clear message to Iran and to the international community. Israel will do all that it must to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.”