IAEA chief: Iran's nuclear program growing
The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said Tuesday that Iran's nuclear program is "growing in ambition and capacity" and his agency needs full access to verify all aspects of it.
International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi acknowledged that Tehran's current nuclear program is very different from its 2015 program, when the deal with the major powers was agreed. He said everyone, including Iran, recognizes that.
"They [the Iranians] say they are making strides and amazing advances and the program is moving ahead very very fast. And not only ahead, but sideways as well," Grossi told reporters on the sidelines of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference at the United Nations.
"It is growing in ambition and capacity. That does not mean that we cannot verify it," Grossi added. "But clearly, we need the degree of access commensurate with the characteristics of that program."
He said the Iranians now have more facilities and new technologies.
Grossi said he has also been informed that Tehran is preparing new centrifuge cascades, which are used in uranium enrichment.
"Our inspectors are mobilised, and they are going to be looking into this when this happens," he said.
"Not all of them have been prepared, just part of them."
